Page 21 of Reputation, an Easy Thing to Lose (Reputation Verse #1)
Chapter 20
Traveling and Interrogations
An Inn off the Great North Road
10 June 1813
A most extravagant caravan ambled through the streets of London. Seven large equipages with full liveried coachmen plus three servant carriages and two luggage carts made up the party which transferred the guests of the Darcys’ summer house party. Over the objections of Darcy, Lady Matlock insisted the whole party meet at Matlock House and depart together at ten a.m. Such a nonsensical departure hour ensured that the streets were filled with traffic and fashionable people strolling towards their morning calls. That was Lady Matlock’s intention, of course: for everyone in London, from the lowliest street beggar to the Prince Regent himself, to see the grandeur of Georgiana Darcy’s traveling party.
Inside the Darcys’ converted stagecoach—an enormous, specially -m ade equipage which Darcy’s father had purchased from the old posting station in Derby—the atmosphere was tense. Georgiana and Elizabeth were attempting to engage the other four ladies in some conversation, but Lady Grace, Lady Fiona, and Caroline refused to speak. Only Lady Miranda made any attempt at civi lity.
Back at Matlock House, there had been a mild disagreement about who was to ride in which carriage. Assuming that Darcy would accompany his sister, each of the young ladies still vying for his attention tried to insinuate herself into the Darcy stagecoach. The four ladies nearly pushed each other down to get close to Georgiana and express their desire to travel with their dear friend . When the time came to load into the carriages, Lady Matlock loudly commented how lovely it would be if Lady Fiona and Georgiana could get some time to catch up with each other during the journey north. Before either Darcy or Georgiana could open their mouths to indicate the Bennet ladies had already been invited to travel with the Darcys, Lady Fiona had taken Darcy’s hand and stepped into the coach. Not to be left out, Caroline instantly stepped in behind Lady Fiona. Lady Miranda and Lady Grace each all but tripped on their skirts to gain seats before the coach was filled without them.
So, with four simpering ladies seated inside, there was room only for Georgiana, whom Darcy handed in second - t o -l ast , and then finally Elizabeth. The collective glare towards Elizabeth and audible groan of the other coach occupants would have been humorous except for the long day of travel ahead. And Darcy was left without a seat in his own transport! Thankfully, Bingley stepped up at that moment and offered seats in his well -s prung and recently re -c ushioned carriage to Darcy, Jane, and Mary.
Now, more than two hours after setting out from St. James’s Place, the Pemberley -b ound caravan finally passed Hampstead Heath, and the traffic thinned into a reasonable flock of northbound travellers. The coachmen coaxed the horses into a nice canter and the passengers inside the Darcy coach let the calm of the countryside temper their sour m oods.
Darcy was seriously displeased with his aunt for arranging the travellers in such a way as to deprive him of the pleasure of riding in his own coach. He had a mildly pleasant trip riding with Bingley, Jane, Mary, and Bristol, who had surprisingly joined Bingley instead of riding in his own carriage. Mostly, however, Darcy sat staring out of the window with a forlorn look upon his face. Darcy’s actions and attitude were generally ignored by his sisters - i n -l aw and best friend, each of whom were well acquainted with his more morose tendencies and also guessed at the true bent of his thoughts, wishing a certain set of fine eyes was amongst them. Unfortunately, Bristol was neither used to seeing his old friend so downhearted, nor was he privy to the true leaning of Darcy’s h eart.
“Darcy, my man, what has you so depressed this day? Are you not enjoying the company of these lovely ladies and your university comrades? Surely, if you prefer the attention of another young lady, your sister’s companion could be made to travel with us once we stop to refresh the horses in a few hours. I have to say I was surprised that Lady Matlock did not object to her being handed into the coach after your sister. I know she would have preferred a more prominent figure sit near the window so as to be seen riding down The Mall.”
Darcy’s anger flared, instantly. He was about to demand an apology for speaking so disrespectfully about Elizabeth, but was saved by Jane’s gentle, diplomatic v oice.
“My lord, I am sure my sister considers it her duty to accompany Miss Darcy and provide the female companionship she has come to rely on in such social situations. Miss Darcy is the hostess for this party and the young women now sitting in the Darcy coach are her personal guests and friends. Our Lizzy provides guidance in female conversation and quiet strength while instructing Miss Darcy in her duties as hostess. Besides, Mr. Darcy, I am sure, would rather not listen to all the talk of fashion, gothic novels, and balls, that is likely to dominate the conversation of five young ladies straight from the London se ason.”
“Yes, thank you, Miss Bennet,” Darcy said. “I dare say you are correct in your assessment of my interest in the general companionship to be had currently in my coach, but I was dismayed by my aunt’s interference with the travel arrangements. I am mortified that Georgie’s invitation to you both was so abruptly rescinded. At least Lady Matlock knows enough not to question my decision about sending Elizabeth with Georgie. My sister is not well at ease in such demanding social situations without Elizabeth, even when she is wit h me.”
This time, it was Mary who spoke up. “Yes, Mr. Darcy, your sister does seem to respond to ours very well. We are all so glad that our families have become so close since Lizzy took her position in your household. Thank you again for including myself and my sister Jane in the invitation to your estate for the summer.” Showing a new grasp of social awareness since the start of the summer season, Mary smoothly changed the subject. “Lord Bristol, where exactly is your ancestral home?”
The remainder of the conversation in the Bingley carriage centred on the differences between Pemberley and the Bristol est ates.
Unlike Jane’s kind representation of the conversation likely to be taking place in the Darcys’ coach, when the ladies did begin to speak, it was not about fashion and b alls.
Shortly after passing Hampstead Heath, Caroline decided to take her disappointment of being without Darcy’s company out on Eliza beth.
“Miss Eliza,” Caroline sneered, “we are nearly to Meryton, are we not? Have you had occasion to visit your poor, widowed mother since taking your position with the Darcys? And what of your cousin who inherited your father’s estate? Did he not marry your particular friend, the former Miss Charlotte Lucas? I dare say it is nice to have the option to visit your friend at your former home if you ever have time to take away from your duties. Perhaps once Miss Darcy marries, or more likely when Mr. Darcy marries, and your services are no longer required, you can spend a few weeks in between situations visiting your family and fri ends.”
Elizabeth was unruffled. “Miss Bingley, I have had two occasions to visit my mother in Meryton and one trip to visit my youngest sister in Scarborough since joining the Darcy household. Mr. Darcy has been extremely kind to allow me such time with my close family. Neither trip to Hertfordshire allowed for time to visit with my cousin Collins at Longbourn, though I know Mr. Darcy personally paid Mr. and Mrs. Collins a call while we were on the road to Pemberley last fall. Perhaps someday I will again visit my childhood home, but I am content to live at Pemberley and Darcy House for now.”
“Yes, I imagine that your new accommodations are far superior to Longbourn. It can be no surprise at your preferring even the Pemberley servants’ quarters to your prior home.” Caroline did nothing to hide the scathing tone in her voice, but Elizabeth smiled through the misguided woman’s diat ribe.
“While Pemberley is unquestionably one of the most beautiful estates in all of England, I imagine that the change is more one of scale than real substance. My rooms at Pemberley, in the family wing, have all the same basic accommodations as Longbourn, such as a dressing room, a lovely fireplace, a comfortable bed, and a private sitting area.” Elizabeth readjusted the button on her new blue traveling gloves. “I am surprised that you do not know the layout of typical country homes, Miss Bingley. Netherfield boasted a nearly identical layout of the Longbourn family wing, as the two homes were originally built within five years, with the original wing of Netherfield being slightly older. The second wing and new public rooms at Netherfield were added less than twenty years ago. But, I understand that not all ladies, especially those raised in London, have the same education in running a country es tate.”
Georgiana attempted to redirect the conversation. “I do hope that you will all find the accommodations in the guest wing to be comfortable. We have redecorated many of the rooms over the past year in anticipation of my coming out and hosting of more varied guests. Many of the rooms had not been reviewed since my mother’s pas sing.”
Caroline turned her pinched expression into an artificial smile as she turned her attention to Georgiana. “Oh, my dear Miss Darcy! You should have let me know you were redecorating. I could have assisted in your efforts.” Caroline grasped Georgiana’s hand from her seat across the coach. “I know how demanding such work can be on one’s own, without help from someone with a refined sense of fas hion.”
“Actually, Miss Bingley,” Georgiana pulled her hand away from Caroline’s grasp as discreetly as possible, “Elizabeth helped a great deal, as did our long -t ime housekeeper, Mrs. Reyn olds.”
“Of course, such an experienced servant like Mrs. Reynolds would have the skills to oversee the work, but truly refined taste can only come from attention to fashion at the highest levels.” Caroline looked down her nose at Elizabeth as she spoke about refined tastes. “But do not fret, my dear, this is why you have included only the closest of friends and family in this first invitation. We shall not be offended at any of your choices. In fact, I shall be glad to take a day and tour the rooms with you, making suggestions for some additional renovations which will correct any… misjudgements that Miss Eliza has made.”
The discourse in Darcy’s coach did not improve over the day of tr avel.
The first night at the Huntingdon traveling inn was even worse than the day had been. Lady Matlock had chosen the accommodations for the trip and made arrangements with the inn keepers. The inn that first night was well -k ept and clean, but small. It had limited rooms, forcing most of the married couples and several of the unmarried sisters, including Jane and Mary Bennet, to share a room for the evening. Lady Matlock had determined that Elizabeth, instead of having the room attached to that of Miss Darcy, should share a room with Anne de Bourgh’s companion, Mrs. Jenkinson, in the servant’s wing.
To say that Darcy was furious would be a gross understatement. All day he had been separated from Elizabeth, due to Lady Matlock’s heavy -h anded ordering of his affairs. Now he would not even see her during the night. If Mrs. Jenkinson was expecting Elizabeth to share her room, then an absence would surely be noticed and commented upon.
It was also not lost on Darcy that Lady Matlock, whether maliciously, or simply out of long standing and ingrained prejudice, had treated Elizabeth as if she had no standing in society at all. It would be absolutely unacceptable for an unmarried gentlewoman to share a room with another lady who was not her close relation. Also, no one would bat an eye at three unmarried sisters sharing a room in a coaching inn, and additional cots were certainly available for the evening. No, instead his aunt had singled out Elizabeth as the Bennet sister who had lost all respectability. Her sisters were still treated as the daughters of a landed gentleman, and offered the comforts of a generous room and a lady’s maid.
The second day was poised to pass like the first, until Darcy made it clear that he would be riding his horse instead of riding in any equipage. This declaration prompted Lady Fiona, Lady Grace, Lady Miranda and Caroline to wander towards their own carriages instead of spending another day trying to intimidate the other unmarried ladies. While Darcy exhausted his body to distract himself from his anger, Georgiana, Elizabeth, Jane, Mary, Bingley and Bristol enjoyed pleasant conversation in the comfortable Darcy c oach.
On the second evening, Darcy again found that his aunt had reserved a room for Elizabeth and Mrs. Jenkinson to share in the servant’s quarters, even though this particular inn was more than twice the size of the previous establishment and such space -s aving was not necessary. This was the moment that Darcy’s physical and mental exhaustion overran his propriety. In a slightly louder voice than was necessary, he informed the inn keeper that his sister wished for her companion to share her rooms that evening, and the double servant’s room would be unnecessary. Then he requested dinner for himself, his sister, and Elizabeth be taken to the sitting room adjoining their two r ooms.
While the Darcys enjoyed the peace found only within their small party, many of the other travellers were decidedly less at peace. Lady Matlock followed Darcy’s example and requested dinner for herself, her husband, and her sons be taken in a private dining room. She was determined to have a serious conversation with the men closest to Darcy concerning his inappropriate behav iour.
“Henri, this ridiculous preference for his sister’s companion has got to stop! How is he ever to choose an appropriate wife if he keeps insisting on treating that servant as if she were still a gentlewoman. I am sure that if we were not heading to Pemberley right now for an exclusive house party, the Earls of Nottingham and Derby would be reconsidering their approval of Darcy as a suitor for their daughters. As the head of this family, you shall have to set that boy stra ight!”
Lord Matlock slowly sipped his wine and considered his wife’s passionate speech. It was his opinion that his nephew was in no hurry to marry anyone, especially not any of the ladies currently fighting over his attention. And with such a beautiful companion to capture his thoughts, there would be nothing he could do to convince Darcy to give up his attentions to Eliza beth.
“My dear, I understand your desire to see our nephew advantageously situated in marriage, but you misrepresent my position within Fitzwilliam’s life. Indeed, I am the head of the Fitzwilliam family, but not the Darcy family. Fitzwilliam Darcy, as did his father before him, has always conducted his business outside of my purview. Yes, our nephew comes to me for advice when he needs it, and he has always headed my concerns when I have brought them to his attention, but I assure you that I have no ability to demand anything of the master of Pemberley.” Lord Matlock looked towards his son Richard, who knew Darcy better than almost any other person. “What do you think, Richard? Has William made any preference for a young lady known or even hi nted?”
After taking a large gulp of his wine, Richard looked around the small parlour. He was convinced that Darcy wanted to marry the enchanting Elizabeth Bennet. His attentions to Lydia Wickham and the inclusion of her other sisters in invitations, both now to Pemberley for the house party and during the season, signalled to Richard the depth of Darcy’s resolve to make Elizabeth the next mistress of Pemberley. But saying so to his mother was likely not the best way for ward.
“No, Father. I do not believe Darcy has any preference for the high society ladies currently in our company, or any other lady from the ton . I am also unsure exactly what any of us shall accomplish by bringing attention to what you consider ill -a dvised attention to Miss Elizabeth, Mother. He is sometimes hard to read, but I do not believe he looks to his own matrimony plans now.”
While his parents continued to argue about Darcy, Richard silently ate his meal, keeping the remainder of his thoughts to himself. All the Fitzwilliams from Matlock would have been shocked to know that the two persons at the centre of their evening discussion were, at that moment, indulging in a shared bath.
The warm rays of the sun were beginning to peek through the curtains in the spacious, but sparse, rented room occupied by Darcy and Elizabeth. It was finally the last day of traveling for the large group of partygoers, and Darcy expected to arrive at Pemberley’s grounds in time for tea that after noon.
After a restful night spent in each other’s arms, Darcy opened his eyes to see the sun highlighting his wife’s dark hair with kisses of auburn. He knew that they should rise. She should leave his bed and go back to his sister. All the Darcys should prepare for their two -w eek ordeal where Elizabeth would again inhabit the bedroom connected to Georgiana’s room instead of his. Should, should, should… All the ‘shoulds’ were pushed aside in favour of a few more stolen minutes in each other arms and tasting the spot behind his wife’s ear that always made her sigh with plea sure.
Just as Elizabeth started to respond to his ministrations, the door to Darcy’s room shook with the force of banging from the hal lway.
Both Darcy and Elizabeth froze for a second. When the knocking sounded again, this time with a call from Viscount Finwell, the oldest son of the Earl of Nottingham, Elizabeth buried herself into the covers and Darcy rose to find his robe. He made sure that the bed curtains facing the door were securely closed and no part of his wife was visible before opening the door to the hall.
“Finwell, what in the world is so important before six a.m.? I was under the impression we had chosen a departure of eight a.m. for the whole party, and breakfast was to be available in an hour.” Darcy barely opened the door and did not make any move that could be interpreted as an invitation for the Viscount to enter. Looking behind the man banging on his door, Darcy saw that his oldest Matlock cousin, Viscount Huntley, was also standing outside his door.
“I am glad you had enough time in company last night to be appraised of the traveling plans.” Finwell fixed Darcy with a hard stare. “I thought you abandoned us all before dinner.” The irritation in Finwell’s expression stemmed less from any perceived slight on the part of his long -t ime friend, than from the hours he had endured of his sister, Lady Fiona’s complaining. Last night, he had been subjected to all manner of vile accusations against his friend, and demands that as the next Earl of Nottingham, he must speak to the wayward master of Pemberley. Before he was allowed to rest, he had been conscripted into doing her bidding and thus was up and dressed before any coffee could be smelled coming from the kit chen.
Huntley had promised Lord Matlock he would warn Darcy about Lady Matlock’s mood and suspicions. He also planned to caution Darcy not to provide too much ammunition during the party with which to assassinate Elizabeth’s reputation and perhaps his own in the pro cess.
Trying to diffuse this tension, Huntly addressed his cousin. “Truly, Darcy, we have decided to ride ahead of the caravan and take a bit of sport with our mounts. Plodding along at the speed of the carriages for two days has us all weary. Come with us, old man, and we shall reach Pemberley in time to take a few turns about your training track before we must once again be presentable for tea. We shall also call for Richard and Finwell’s brothers. Perhaps even Bristol, but he seems to have taken a preference for riding inside the carriages these last few days. Oh, and I suppose Bingley would enjoy some sport too.” Huntly reached into the door to grasp Darcy’s shoulder in a friendly manner. “Come, let us leave the ladies and old men to the cushions, and escape to manly purs uits.”
Darcy stepped back and closed the door slightly to dissuade any of his friends from entering his bedchamber where Elizabeth was still hidden under the bed covers. Though Darcy certainly enjoyed riding his horse, and would have welcomed a few turns about the track with his friends, fear for the safety of his wife and sisters was foremost in his mind. “I think not. We are out in the middle of the country and still nearly seven hours from Pemberley. The next section of road is often empty and rarely sees travellers. Leaving the traveling company so devoid of men could invite trouble from highway men and other troublema kers.”
Finwell huffed and crossed his arms. Could Darcy not let go of his overwhelming sense of responsibility and be suggestible for once? “That is ridiculous. You have five coachmen atop your equipage alone. Each other carriage has at least two, and often three coachmen. The number of male servants outnumber the ladies nearly two to one. Add to that your uncle, my father, Lord Derby, Mr. Hurst—though I do not know how useful he would be in a crisis—and possibly Bristol or Bingley. The young ladies will not find themselves without proper protec tion.”
“I would never forgive myself if anything happened to my family so I could engage in some sport. No, I believe I shall stay with the car avan.”
Finwell was frustrated. He needed to separate his friend from the group to have the conversation he had promised his mother and sister. It would be altogether too embarrassing to attempt the words in the hearing of the women. “Darcy! I insist that you come with us and that we find some separation from the group. Now, get dressed. I am going to demand coffee from the kitchen before this ridiculous affair begins.” Finwell abruptly turned and stormed off towards the stairwell, leaving Darcy bewild ered.
Huntly only shook his head and continued on with their request - t urned -d emand . “Darcy, Finwell is correct. The ladies will be well protected by our servants and fathers. We should not waste this opportunity to be in company with each other, since it will be expected that we all spend time with the young eligible ladies during the house party. Please say you will joi n us.”
Perceiving something in his cousin’s phrasing, though not comprehending exactly what unsaid message he was trying to convey, Darcy decided on a compromise. “Perhaps once we get to the outskirts of Leicester and the road has more regular traffic we can separate from the group. If we gallop all the way back to Pemberley from that point, we could arrive nearly two hours in advance of the carriages. This should be plenty of time to engage in some sport, and my three - y ear -o ld horses should be ready for racing. We have had good stable classes these last five years. This year’s racing class was being broken as we left Pemberley for the season last sp ring.”
Knowing that this was the best they were going to get from his immovable cousin, Huntley clapped Darcy’s shoulder. “William, I believe that to be a grand compromise. Additionally, we will now have time to enjoy some much -n eeded breakfast before taking off. I shall leave you now to your toilette and inform the other riders of the day’s plan.”
Darcy nodded and turned to close the door. When he heard the viscount’s footfalls moving away from his door, he locked it firmly and went back to his beloved wife. Elizabeth had been hiding under the bed covers throughout the entire conversation, moving as little as possible and even breathing only as much as was necessary for fear one of their early morning visitors would hear her. Once Darcy climbed back under the covers, she released her death grip on the sheets, snuggled into his offered embrace and hid her face in his neck. Neither spoke for a few long mom ents.
Finally, Darcy broke the silence. “Dearest, are you alright? I am sure neither of the viscounts had any idea you were here, as they could not even see the bed from their viewing angle. Please, Elizabeth, look at me. Let me know you are well.” Darcy gently placed his finger under Elizabeth’s chin to lift her face to his. He had been prepared for embarrassment due to the situation and even perhaps anger at him for allowing such a risky event to take place, but he was not prepared for t ears.
“William, we have been so blind to how others see us. My reputation will surely be ruined, and all our sisters shall come down with me. How could we let this ha ppen?”
“What are you talking about? I am sure no one suspects anything untoward is happening between us. None of my friends could have possibly seen you here and you have been in the company of either my sister or yours during both days of traveling. Why do you fear for your reputa tion?”
“Oh, my sweet love, do you not see why your friends, each with either an unmarried sister vying for your attention, or, as in the case of your cousin, a matchmaking mother hell -b ent on seeing you advantageously married, have come to separate you from the traveling party? Did you not catch Lord Huntley’s emphasis on spending time with ‘ eligible young ladies,’ or how Lord Finwell desires to have a private conversation with you before we arrive home, likely regarding his sister’s ambition to become the mistress of Pemberley?” Elizabeth took Darcy’s face in her hands and rubbed his chin with her thumb. “I fear you shall be subjected to questions regarding your intentions towards the unmarried ladies in our party and perhaps even warnings about engaging in inappropriate activities with your sister’s compa nion.”
This revelation was most unwelcome. Darcy replayed the last two days in his head, including the most recent conversation with the two viscounts. He began to see his aunt’s manoeuvring in a much different light. Going back even further through the events of the last eight months, he thought about how many of the times he had been offended at the way Elizabeth was slighted by Lady Matlock followed immediately behind some overt act of attention paid to her by him.
Now, in the warm embrace of his wife, with the morning sun full in the sky and two whole weeks of company ready to invade their sanctuary, Darcy began to fully appreciate the precarious p osition in which they found themselves. Oh, if only he had not allowed his aunt to bully him into this ridiculous house party! When he turned his attention back to Elizabeth, all the anger flew away with the sight of tears still streaming down her lovely face.
“Do not fret, dearest. I will not allow your reputation to suffer. I promised you last September that I would protect our family and I shall keep that promise.” Darcy wiped her tears with the edge of the coverlet and kissed each of her eyes. “Today, once the caravan enters the road to Leicester, I will lead the young bucks in a race to Pemberley and submit myself to whatever conversation they wish to have. I will not lie if the conversation turns to my intentions regarding their sisters and cousins, but I will not hint at the true direction of my affections. Furthermore, I promise to behave for the next two w eeks.”
Elizabeth laid her head on Darcy’s shoulder and wrapped her arms around his middle. “We have only these two weeks to bear and then we shall become like hermits, accepting no invitations and issuing the same.”
Darcy brushed back a few stray hairs from Elizabeth’s forehead. “Hopefully, Jane and Bingley will come to a final understanding soon.”
“Yes, and I will stand by my promise to allow our marriage to be announced during the exchanging of Bingley’s ring.”
Though Elizabeth loathed being tickled, Darcy loved the way her little shrieks of laughter lightened her whole countenance. And tickling was always a well -d eserved punishment for such tea sing.
“You, my dear, are a menace! I will certainly wait until the register has been signed and no one can stop the legality of the ceremony.” Both laughed and snuggled back down onto the pillows. “I am also hopeful that Bernard Finch may approach me as to an understanding with Georgiana. Even if he is not in a position to marry for another year or so, a formal courtship during the little season this winter, followed by a respectable engagement would bring them close to a year before their marriage. With Jane and Georgiana so well situated, we need not fear what our high connections might say.”
Darcy sat up and took Elizabeth with him. Situating her on his lap, he kissed her with reverence and pas sion.
“I promise you my dearest, loveliest Elizabeth, all of your sacrifices and all of your enormous patience shall not be in vain.”