Page 4 of Raised at Rosings (Elizabeth and Darcy True Love Multiverse #4)
Chapter Three
Seven years later
As the sun beat down on Elizabeth, she couldn’t help but revel in its radiant embrace, savoring every moment. Each step she took on her walks helped alleviate the weight of Lady Catherine’s hatred, bringing her a sense of peace. The recent rain had prevented her from enjoying her normal walk around the garden and left her more overwhelmed than was her wont. But the sun had finally come out and Elizabeth eagerly soaked it in.
Breathing deeply, Elizabeth ran her fingers along the plants on either side of the garden path, relishing in the different textures. She would have loved to explore the nearby wooded paths, but even she was not that bold. Lady Catherine had a tantrum the first time Elizabeth had asked about walking somewhere beside the garden path, going as far as banning her from walking at all. Fortunately, Uncle Lewis stepped in and informed the staff that Elizabeth was never to be prevented from walking in the garden again.
Elizabeth had learned to be circumspect and grateful for what she had in the seven years she had lived at Rosings. Though there was a period of adjustment, the love and affection she received from Anne and Uncle Lewis, who she eventually discovered was a baronet, helped her thrive. By keeping up a constant stream of correspondence with her sister Jane, she was able to bridge the distance between them and feel connected despite being separated. She even managed to visit several times a year.
The initial awkwardness of developing a routine faded as she settled into a comfortable rhythm, dedicating several hours each day to discussions with Anne. They spent their days in animated conversations about what they were reading, creating dream menus for future events that would hopefully be unhampered by Lady Catherine, and poring over the detailed Rosings ledgers trying to decipher how the mansion was run. Anne was surprisingly skilled in mathematics, accurately performing complex calculations mentally. Music lessons, which Elizabeth enjoyed, and painting lessons, in which she wasn't very skilled, were provided by Uncle Lewis. For at least an hour every day, she'd engage with Uncle Lewis in either a chess match or a conversation about history and social issues.
Reaching the little fountain that she loved so much, Elizabeth was careful to gaze back at Rosings and find Anne in the window, looking down at her. Forcing a smile she did not feel, Elizabeth ignored the ache of seeing her friend so pallid and lifted her hand in a wave. Anne mustered a feeble smile as she waved back, her exhaustion evident in the lack of strength behind the gesture.
It was nearly unbearable to watch the girl who had grown to be like her sister sicken and lose strength with every day. More and more, the time they spent together had to be cut short. While Anne had never been what one would call robust, and Lady Catherine wanted to do everything possible to keep her looking delicate, her health had taken a turn for the worst after she caught scarlet fever the winter before. Lady Catherine had stubbornly refused to seek medical help, convinced that her noble lineage shielded her daughter from any grave illnesses. However, her conviction wavered when a troublesome rash manifested alongside her sore throat and swallowing difficulties. At the first sight of the angry, red rash spreading across her daughter’s skin, Lady Catherine’s shrill cries, high-pitched and piercing, echoed through the vast halls of the mansion.
Elizabeth struggled to comprehend how the doctor’s actions were supposed to help poor Anne. All he did was purge and bleed her, which seemed counterintuitive to Elizabeth. Anne was already ill, and the old man was just making her suffer. Elizabeth, who had been spending time with her friend trying to keep her spirits up, eventually caught the illness herself. However, she managed to recover much faster as she had always been of a robust health, which only fueled Lady Catherine’s anger. She suspected that the local herb wife and the staff who loved and cared for her might have something to do with it. That and the fact that she was spared the curative treatments of the doctor.
While Anne, forever changed by the lingering effects of the fever, felt drained and weak, Elizabeth had fully recovered her usual energy. She remained by the window, smiling at Anne and exchanging playful expressions, until Anne offered a final wave and stepped away. Her nurse then drew the curtains, allowing Anne to lie down and rest. Continuing her walk, Elizabeth hurried her pace. If she moved fast enough, she could say hello to the horses before she was to meet with Uncle Lewis.
She was about to turn the last corner when she heard two deep voices. She immediately recognized the first voice as Richard Fitzwilliam’s, but the second voice, though offering a sense of familiarity, eluded her. “You are not an heir, Richard. You simply do not understand.”
Richard’s deep chuckle made Elizabeth smile as he said, “I might not be an heir, Darcy, but I am the son of an earl. I have some small understanding.”
The second voice continued, grumbling, “I am not even of age, and yet it seems wherever I go, young ladies are ever eager to make their affections known. Last week, while I was at Hatchards, a young lady wearing a monstrosity of a hat tripped and landed in a heap at my feet. If that was not an attempt at compromise, I do not know what one is.”
“I do not think you know what one is. The poor thing probably just tripped because she was nervous around you. Not everyone is as self-assured as you are,” reasoned Richard.
“No, I will not believe your argument. There is nothing in any of their heads but gossip and lace.” That comment had Elizabeth frowning, but for some reason, she still did not come out of hiding. She had only recently turned fourteen, after all. It was not really her place to put the unknown man in his place, even if he was in her home.
“There have to be women and girls that you respect, Darcy. You are just frustrated with the situation you find yourself in. What about Jane?” Richard suggested. “You have met her on a number of occasions. You cannot deny that she is skilled and intelligent.”
“I will allow that your adoptive sister is not wholly objectionable,” Darcy replied, and Elizabeth found it difficult to hold her tongue. She managed to remain silent, only to have the gentleman continue with, “She plays the harp with skill and can hold a decent conversation, but she smiles too much, and I do not think she sees the bad that exists in the world around her. More than that, she is the most beautiful young lady I know, so I will say she is an adequate example of a young woman. You will have your hands full once she makes her bow to the queen in the next few years.”
“You do not know her as well as you think you do, Darcy, and if I did not know you were in a bad mood, I would throttle you for insulting her.” After a pause that had Elizabeth creeping forward, Richard continued, “With as intelligent as you are, it would make sense that you would want someone in a match who could challenge you intellectually. Do you remember Jane’s younger sister, Elizabeth? She was at our house last year when you visited for a few weeks with Georgianna. In a few years, she may prove to be just the sort of woman you seek. She does not smile half as much as Jane and is quite aware of the state of the world.”
Hearing Richard tell someone she would be a good match for them left an odd feeling in her stomach. She knew it would be several years before there would be any thought for her to join the marriage mart. Still, that Richard thought she would be worthy of a friend of his was nice somehow. Her uneasy excitement turned to rage as she heard the man Richard referred to as Darcy say, “You must be jesting. She is, what, only twelve or thirteen years of age? With Lady Catherine as her guardian, she has no chance of receiving an education or developing any abilities. Like Anne, she will be nothing more than a timid wallflower with an empty mind, not even tolerable for a dance partner at a ball.”
How dare he? Elizabeth did not know what was more insulting—what he obviously thought of her, which was based on unfounded supposition, or what he thought of Anne. Flying around the corner, Elizabeth acted before she could think better of it.
It was only after the words left his mouth that Darcy realized that Richard’s expression morphed from annoyed to furious. In the midst of his attempt to apologize, a sudden flurry of movement caught his eye, causing him to lose track of his thoughts. Before he could make sense of the situation, an intense, blinding pain shot through his shin, leaving him hopping about in agony.
Blinking tears out of his eyes, Darcy was able to catch sight of a smiling girl giving Richard a tight hug before saying, “I had no idea that you were coming to visit. How is the family?”
Chuckling, Richard said, “They are all well and send their love and, of course, I have a letter among my things for you from Jane. As for my visit, Uncle Lewis summoned Darcy and me to see him, though I do not know why.”
“That is odd. He did not mention anything of the sort to me.” Shrugging, she continued, “Regardless, I will be happy to have you here for a visit.”
As Darcy observed the lively young woman chat with his cousin seemingly unperturbed, he couldn’t help but grimace and bend down to massage his aching shin. Was he losing his mind or had she delivered a sharp kick to his shin and then completely disregarded him? He studied her as she ignored him. At first, he had thought her quite young, but the maturity around her emerald eyes and the set of her shoulders made him doubt his earlier assumption. Despite her youth, there was just something about her, a sort of vitality that almost drew him in.
That is until he became annoyed by his reaction to her. He was Fitzwilliam Darcy. Women, especially not half-grown ones who kicked him in the shin, did not fascinate him. But then he caught her looking at him, her bearing regal and disapproving, and he frowned at her disregard for him. Standing, Darcy glanced at Richard, an eyebrow raised, wondering why he was not introducing the two of them.
Chuckling, Richard said, “Darcy, you remember Miss Elizabeth Bennet. She is Uncle Lewis’s ward and sister to my adopted sister Jane. I do believe you met her last year at the family gathering.”
Nodding his head to Miss Elizabeth, Darcy watched her curtsy and eye him with a dismissive air before turning back to Richard to say, “If I do not go, I will be late for my lessons. It is always good to have you here, Richard. I will see you and your friend at dinner.” After giving Richard a kiss on the cheek, she departed, leaving Darcy utterly perplexed.
As soon as she was out of range, Richard burst into uncontrollable laughter, his guffaws echoing through the air. Darcy had to wait until Richard paused and was catching his breath before asking, “Am I wrong or did Miss Elizabeth kick me in the shin?”
“Yes,” Richard smirked, “yes, she did.”
Rubbing at his forehead, Darcy felt like he was in some other world, a world different from what he had come to expect. “She attacks me, is pleasant with you, and you laugh at the entire exchange. Forgive me for not understanding what is going on.”
“What else did you expect, Darcy? You were acting entirely insufferable. Not only insufferable, but dismissive of women in general. You went so far as to be insulting to several of the people she is closest to in the world.”
Internally wincing, Darcy racked his brain, desperately trying to recall the exact words he had uttered. He knew he had said Jane Bennet smiled too much. Then there was something about Anne and the young lady herself. A pang of guilt surged through him as he recognized his actions had not been honorable. However, he quickly suppressed it, determined not to let it overpower him. His actions had not been that bad, only slightly dismissive, and so he countered with, “She should not have been listening to our conversation.”
Expression turning dark, Richard said, “We are visiting her home. She is allowed to wander where she wishes and you insulted her in the open, where anyone could hear. That is not proper behavior, and you know it.” Stepping closer, Richard ground out, “Elizabeth is only a handful of years older than Georgianna. If someone visited Pemberley and was overheard saying she was an uneducated and unskilled wallflower not even tolerable enough to dance with, what would it do to her? What would you do to them?”
Darcy felt as if someone had punched him in the gut. Put that way, he could see the damage behind his words. Georgianna, already very shy, would be devastated if someone spoke about her in such a way. Looking up at Richard’s angry expression, he admitted, “It was wrong of me. I am sorry.”
Shaking his head, Richard took a step back and said, “I am not the one you should be apologizing to. You need to find a way to apologize for your poor behavior and ill-chosen words before we leave.” Then, chuckling, he added, “You should probably thank her as well.”
Darcy followed after his cousin as he moved into the mansion in search of the rooms that had been prepared for them. Settling for talking at Richard’s back, he said, “Thank her? I do not think so. I will grant you I was wrong, and I should apologize to her, somehow…but I will have you know my shin is still throbbing.”
Richard paused and glanced over his shoulder before smirking. “You should be grateful to Elizabeth for multiple reasons. She could have chosen any number of more painful methods to teach you a lesson. Kicking you in the shin is one of the gentler things I taught her to defend herself. Besides, had she not hit you, I would have, and rest assured, my blow would have been far more severe than hers.” Richard paused, raising his eyebrow, which made Darcy realize his expression must have been one of disbelief. Shaking his head, Richard added, “Do you realize, Darcy, that you had just insulted the three women I hold dearest in the world besides my mother? I can guarantee you a broken nose from me would have been a worse punishment than a sore shin from her.”
Eyes squinted in concentration, Elizabeth studied the black and white battlefield before her, her mind sorting the eventualities the way the maid sorted linens to be put away in cupboards. Certain moves would be sufficient, but not quite what she wanted, and she suppressed her desire to growl in frustration. There was a way to win in fewer moves. She could feel it, but she could not yet see it and it taunted her.
“You are distracted,” commented Uncle Lewis.
As her eyes shifted from the chessboard, they landed on the man who had filled the role of a beloved father in her life. Knowing he would see the lie in a smile, she let her frustration surface with a roll of her eyes. Taking a breath, Elizabeth muttered, “I will admit I am put out. I came upon Richard and his friend Darcy, and it did not go well. In fact, neither Mr. Darcy nor I exhibited proper behavior. Really, only Richard came out from the meeting completely unscathed.”
Smiling fondly at her in a way she had come to appreciate, Uncle Lewis said, “I know you, Lizzie; you are not one to act without reason. If your behavior lacked propriety, it would suggest you were deeply distressed. Would you like to tell me what happened?”
As she spoke, Elizabeth sighed and avoided Uncle Lewis’s gaze. “I couldn’t help myself,” she confessed. “After overhearing a conversation between Mr. Darcy and Richard, where Mr. Darcy was being utterly rude, I reacted by kicking him in the shin.”
Elizabeth watched Uncle Lewis’s mouth twitch, and she knew he was only just keeping himself from laughing. Eventually he said, “Young men aren’t always praised for their rationality, and their conversations can be quite unrestrained at times, especially when they think they are without an audience. Nonetheless, Darcy is a good four years older than you and should be learning how to behave himself around others by now. I have enough faith in you to realize a kick in the shin was likely warranted.”
Considering his insults not only to her but to her sister and the girl who she had adopted as one, Elizabeth certainly felt justified in her actions. While at the same time, she felt guilty for acting in such an unladylike manner. The image of Lady Catherine’s disdainful sneer and her plate-throwing tantrums were imprinted on her mind. She had enough examples of bad behavior in Lady Catherine and even her own mother to know that she did not want to grow into the sort of woman who behaved so.
“You know, he is her nephew, just like Richard,” her uncle reminded her, bringing her back to their conversation.
Startling, Elizabeth asked, “Mr. Darcy?”
Shoulders drooping slightly, Uncle Lewis said, “Yes, Fitzwilliam Darcy. Named for his mother’s family, he has more than a little of his aunt in him, but I have long believed he acts the way he does to protect himself. His mother’s death had a profound impact on him, and he has struggled to cope with his father’s haughty demeanor in her absence. I do not think he is easily able to see the joy in the world, only the duty and the avarice of others seeking what he has.”
Elizabeth stilled, pulling apart what he said and what he did not say. Elizabeth appreciated that Uncle Lewis not only taught her but also guided her toward unraveling mysteries and searching for deeper significance. She had learned to step back from a situation and see things as they were to other people, and not only how they looked to her. In the past, it had helped her understand more about the tenants and the people she met in the nearby town.
Now though, Elizabeth realized she needed to step back from her anger and look for why Mr. Darcy might have acted so unacceptably. After some consideration, Elizabeth responded, “You think he can only see the darkness in the world around him? That he might not have learned to recognize the good?” It was not hard to sympathize with the man when she looked at it that way. It was not as if her life had been all sunshine, but at least good things had happened, and Uncle Lewis had been there to help guide her along the way. Elizabeth couldn’t help but imagine the void that would have consumed her if Uncle Lewis had never entered her life.
Smiling, Uncle Lewis said, “I am not asking you to like Darcy, Lizzie. Only be careful not to hold a grudge because of a baseless remark that you know to be false. No one benefits from holding onto grudges.” Then, pushing back from the chessboard, Uncle Lewis stood and added, “I am sure your music master is here by now. Why don’t you go find him and work on something beautiful for me?”
With a nod, Elizabeth stood and gave Uncle Lewis a kiss on the cheek before leaving his study, her mind full of things to consider. This Darcy seemed quite full of himself, but maybe he needed someone to show him the humor in life before he turned into his aunt? It certainly seemed he was moving in that direction. The world needed fewer of her sort, not more. Perhaps she could help him while he was at Rosings?
Realizing she still had some time, Elizabeth decided that she would go check on Anne before she had her music lesson. Perhaps Anne would be up to listening to her play later before dinner. Turning the last corner before she got to Anne’s suite, Elizabeth groaned as she remembered dinner would be an excessively extravagant affair, as Lady Catherine would want to show off to their guests. Elizabeth despised extravagant dinners and knew the sentiment was shared as rich cuisine never sat well with Uncle Lewis or Anne.
Really, Elizabeth did not know why Uncle Lewis might have summoned Richard and Darcy. Surely, he was capable of taking care of everything at Rosings on his own. Pausing before she knocked softly at Anne’s door in case she was still asleep, Elizabeth shrugged. She supposed she would find out soon enough. Or not. Uncle Lewis did sometimes keep things from her.