Page 25 of Reputation, an Easy Thing to Lose (Reputation Verse #1)

Pemberley, Derbys hire

18 June 1813

Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam was in shock. This could not be happening. It was unthinkable. His stoic, uptight, morally untouchable cousin could not have taken a maiden into his bed with a house full of respectable guests and the lady’s own family under roof. There was something terribly wrong with this picture, but Richard could not readily figure out what it was.

Jane Bennet quickly regained her equilibrium after dropping the breakfast tray, and decided that only quick action by someone who knew the Darcys’ secrets would save them now.

“Colonel Fitzwilliam, we need Mr. Darcy immediately. Go find his valet and bring him here at once. Charles, escort Caroline to her rooms and ensure that she dresses appropriately for the morning. And someone fetch me Mrs. Reynolds at once!”

Sparing one small glance for Caroline as Bingley forcefully dragged his sister from the room, Jane muttered, “Oh Caroline, what have you done to yourself now?” only loud enough for Caroline herself to hear. It was a bit unnerving to see the pity in Jane’s usually kind eyes, but Caroline resolved to put it out of her mind. She held her head high as she clutched the sides of her dressing gown and walked back towards her own r ooms.

Turning to an upstairs maid, Jane ordered the broken dishes and mess to be cleaned at once. Another maid was ordered to rush to the kitchens and have breakfast redistributed between the master’s study and the yellow parlour, each which should be hastily prepared to receive the Darcys’ gu ests.

Soon after both maids rushed off to their tasks, Bingley, Richard, the Grayson brothers, and Mrs. Reynolds appeared back in the family hallway outside the master s uite.

“Mrs. Reynolds, is there somewhere we might speak with more pri vacy?”

“Of course, Miss Bennet.” Taking out her chatelaine, Mrs. Reynolds unlocked the door to the sitting room between the master’s and mistress’s chambers. Richard and Jane followed her in side.

Connor was the first to speak up. “I know for certain that Mr. Darcy did not sleep in his rooms last night.” Looking around, Connor decided to use a partial truth to cover for Darcy. “He has been working very late in his study these last several days and resting on the long couch in front of the fire there. This morning, before dawn, there was a fire on a neighbouring tenant farm and young Mr. Elijah Masters begged for his help. I took Mr. Darcy work clothes and saw him out of the back door myself before six a.m. I am certain he did not touch that harpy and is most certainly still ignorant of her intrusion into his bedcha mber.”

Jane had often been teased by her sisters and father for looking upon the world with rose coloured glasses, always ready to think the best of people. However, the last year, and Mr. Tannerbaugh’s encounter with Elizabeth especially, had tempered Jane’s faith in the goodness of people. While last fall, Jane would never have believed that Caroline was capable of such deceit, all doubt of Caroline’s guilt in this situation was gone.

Jane nodded. “Thank you, Connor, for your defence of Mr. Darcy. I fear that Miss Bingley will find herself very disappointed in this instance, and while I would save her that unpleasantness, nothing we do here will hold weight until Mr. Darcy is returned. How shall we get him back? I hate to think of leaving others to deal with the fire.”

“I will go and fetch him,” Richard spoke up. “And I shall leave my brother with young Elijah. We are acquainted with the Masters family, and Huntley will know how to help.”

“That is an excellent solution, thank you, Colonel.” Jane sighed deeply. “Has anyone seen my sister or Miss Darcy this morning? They should be apprised of what has happ ened.”

Mrs. Reynolds answered. “Neither of those ladies had called for their maids before I was summoned, but I believe I saw Marianne in the upstairs hall earlier. I will check on them and ensure that all the preparations for separate breakfast have been made.” Mrs. Reynolds looked back to Richard. “Colonel, might you also talk with your father and have the men gather in the study for now? I think it best to control the discussion, and Lord Matlock is the best person to do so while Mr. Darcy is out.”

“At once, of course. I shall leave now to my tasks.” Richard saluted the group as he ex ited.

Mrs. Reynolds set out to find Elizabeth and Georgiana, and make sure that all the ladies were brought to the yellow parlour for breakfast, and to await further instructions. Upon entering Elizabeth’s bedchamber, Mrs. Reynolds transferred her internal household tasks to Lillian and Marianne, who already had the two Darcy women fed and dressed for the day. Elizabeth and Georgiana, still looking pale after the morning’s shock, descended to the first floor to greet any guests who came down the stairs looking for break fast.

In all the confusion and chaos, no one noticed Mrs. Reynolds slip out of the door leading to the side of the house, or her subsequent brisk escape down the lane towards the servants’ hamlet village of Pembe rley.

With Darcy gone, helping his neighbour with a tenant house fire, Lord Matlock tried to take control of the men’s discussion in the master’s study, but the room was in a complete uproar! Richard had relayed the basics of the situation before taking Huntley to find Darcy. Before the Earl had been able to shake the sleep from his eyes and call for his valet, his wife had come bursting into his bedchamber to shriek about how every one of the guests’ maids knew that Caroline had been found in Darcy’s bed that mor ning.

Now, Lord Matlock sat behind Darcy’s massive ebony desk and tried to make plans with the other Earls, but no one would stop shouting over each o ther.

“Cannot let the Darcy name get a scandal! He must be made to marry within the week.”

“The wedding must take place as soon as poss ible.”

“The bishop in Nottingham can issue a special license today, if neces sary.”

Lords Nottingham and Derby generally agreed that a marriage must take place within the sennight, but each disputed who should be the bride. The Darcy name was what was important, and the Darcy money. As long as the master of Pemberley married quickly, it would not matter that he had compromised some little social climbing trade chit. Caroline would be the one scandalized. The only thing that seemed to be of agreement was that, no matter what, the upstart could never be the mistress of Pemberley and should be sent back to her father’s Yorkshire mills where she belonged. Darcy should marry one of the more appropriate daughters of the nobility present. They could easily hush up all this unpleasantness, so long as Caroline never came back to Lo ndon.

Lord Matlock was not inclined to completely ruin a young woman, especially one with ties to Sefton. “Come, gentlemen, some consideration must be given to the lady in question. I am sure Darcy will have much to say on the matter when he arr ives.”

“Lord Matlock!” Bingley had joined the more illustrious men and made his way to front, relying on his position as the brother of the ruined lady in question. “My sister deserves none of your consideration. I am fully willing to remove her from all polite society, immediately. I will not sanction her marriage to anyone at the moment, least of all to Darcy. She constructed this whole situation, and with Darcy off helping the young Mr. Masters with an estate fire, he cannot even know what has happened. Surely, he need not be pressed into any marriage now.”

Lord Derby spoke up. “I do not doubt that your chit of a sister is to blame here, but that does not mean Darcy can forego marr iage.”

“I quite agree!” Bellowed Lord Nottingham. “He should have been contracted to my Fiona years ago, but without his father here to advise him on the issue, he has continued to be stubborn. Darcy is too old and too rich to continue as a single man. This incident proves that he is too much in danger. Thankfully, we are all close friends and family here now. I shall have my brother, the Bishop of Nottingham, come here as soon as may be, with a special license. Darcy and Fiona can be married in two or three days.”

“And why exactly do you think he would choose Lady Fiona? My Miranda is the better choice by far for Darcy’s tempera ment.”

“Lady Miranda is still a c hild!”

“And you think tha…”

This argument continued in spite of Lord Matlock’s efforts to keep the p eace.

Unnoticed, Lady Sefton sat quietly in a chair by the window, watching the men act like headless chickens. She had wanted to come with the men to ensure that Caroline did not receive what she wanted by so shameless a manoeuvre. Much to her surprise and delight, her great nephew’s brother - i n -l aw was holding his own.

Nearly one hour after the shouting had begun, the lords in the room still had not made any progress. Finally, the door to the study opened with a loud BANG! For a few blissful seconds, all the commotion ceased while everyone turned their heads. There stood the man himself, Fitzwilliam Darcy, covered in soot and singed around the edges. Slowly, he took a step into the room. In a blink, the cacophony of voices started again, louder this time, shouting out directions and demands to the master of Pembe rley.

The noise of the master’s study was a staggering contrast to the absolute silence in the yellow parlour. Lady Nottingham, Lady Darby, and the Dowager Bristol had given orders to have their trunks packed and ready to leave immediately. Their daughters’ trunks were also being packed, under much protestation from the hopeful ladies who each believed that their father or brother would get them installed as the next Mrs. Darcy instead of the unworthy trade trollop. When each titled lady finally appeared in the makeshift breakfast room, dressed in traveling clothes instead of morning dresses, no one said a word. Georgiana had no idea how to handle the situation and Elizabeth felt it a much better thing to keep her head down until she could speak to D arcy.

More than three quarters of an hour after the breakfast things had been laid out on the side table in the parlour, Caroline and her sister, Louisa Hurst, made an appearance at the door to the yellow parlour. Caroline was dressed in her finest day dress, wearing not one, but two jewelled silver combs in her orange hair and an emerald drop pendant neck choker with matching earrings. It was totally inappropriate for breakfast, but what did Caroline care? Today was to be her finest triumph, and she was going to enjoy every minute. With her head held high, Caroline marched straight to the head of the table, typically reserved for the hostess, which had a chair but no table setting. Caroline sat down and asked the nearest footman to bring her some fresh tea and a place setting. The startled footman looked to Elizabeth for direction and rather than start a new fuss, Elizabeth gave a short nod allowing the servants to proceed, catering to Caroline’s rude and presumptive behaviour. At least Louisa had the good manners to look properly embarra ssed.

Caroline proceeded to give demeaning and often nonsensical orders to the servants. “Gracious me! You there, bring in a whole new spread of morning bread. There is not nearly enough for the calibre of persons at the table. And this béchamel sauce is far too salty.” (It most certainly was not.) “Have Cook make a new batch at once.”

After taking a sip of her fresh tea, Caroline turned to the guests at the table. “Good morning, ladies. I trust everyone slept well.” Everyone at the table continued in angry, resigned, or mortified silence. “At least as well as you could in such unfashionably decorated rooms. I will be certain to have the best decorator here at the earliest conveni ence.”

Caroline buttered a scone and added a healthy dollop of cherry preserve before taking a large bite, completely ignoring the piercing stares of the other guests. In such a situation, most women of quality would have left the table the moment Caroline walked into the room, but each was too hell -b ent on seeing the ridiculous woman put in her place to move one inch away from the yellow par lour.

Elizabeth prayed silently in her seat that Darcy would be back soon and this whole ridiculous event would be put to rest. With the security and assurance of a woman who loved and trusted her husband implicitly, Elizabeth spared a few sad thoughts for Caroline’s pitiable future. Perhaps Darcy and Bingley would be able to find someone to take her for her dowry, preferably far away from the ton and Derbys hire.

Caroline’s absurd behaviour, combined with the hostility of the room, was beginning to wear on Elizabeth’s continued fatigue. Apparently, one night of mostly uninterrupted sleep was still not enough to dispel her lingering tiredness and nausea. Only a moment before Elizabeth decided to escape the parlour and search for Mrs. Reynolds, Lady Sefton, who had been absent all morning, made a grand entrance. She came in with a flurry, boasting a bright, cheerful smile, strolled right up to Elizabeth’s chair, and took Elizabeth’s hand between her own.

“My dear Mrs. Darcy, how wonderful it is to finally be free to acknowledge your position in company. I cannot tell you how lovely this house party has been, and so much excitement! You simply must let me tell you that I have not been so entertained in many y ears.”

Darcy and the men of the master’s property had barely managed to extinguish the flames which destroyed one home and were threatening at least two more when Richard and Huntley arrived at full speed. Darcy’s stomach dropped at the look in Richard’s eyes. He knew that look. It was the same look Richard had sported when he rode up to Darcy House in London personally carrying the express letter announcing the death of Darcy’s fa ther.

All of a sudden, Darcy was running towards his cousins, desperate to learn what could have possibly happened in the less than four hours since he had left the manor h ouse.

“Good God! Richard, what’s the matter? Is Elizabeth alright? Has something happened to her or Georgie? Please tell me they are both well!”

Huntley, the oldest of the three cousins, and more than a bit tired of playing peacemaker between his mother and his cousin responded before Richard could even open his mouth. “You should concern yourself less with the servant you hired to provide social companionship to your sister , and tell us what in the world you were doing taking CAROLINE BINGLEY into your bed last night! Does not your paid bint keep you satisfied? Was it the excitement of potentially getting caught? Well, now you will have to answer truthfully to all of the questions you have been avoiding this se ason.”

Darcy blinked once. Then the stress of the past nine months, combined with the particular stress of this past week and the morning fire rose to a blinding rage. Taking Huntley by the lapels of his riding coat, Darcy unleashed his st ress.

“YOU WILL NEVER AGAIN SPEAK SO DISRESPECTFULLY OF MY WIFE ! Elizabeth is rightfully the mistress of my home, and I will not have one word spoken against her. Do you understand me! I can take you apart bit by bit with a rapier, and I certainly will not give you the choice of weapon in a gentlemen’s duel the next time you unleash that acerbic tongue of yours against my wife. DO I MAKE MYSELF C LEAR?”

Richard’s superior strength and experience dealing with hot -h eaded soldiers subdued Darcy before the Fitzwilliam gentlemen provided any more of a show for the gathered tenant farmers and Elisha Masters, but only just. “Darcy, now is not the time to brawl in the field like children. Miss Elizabeth and Georgiana are fine, but my brother and I came here to take you back to Pemberley, urgently. Miss Bingley was indeed found in your bed this morning, wearing naught but the bedclothes, and she means to trap you into marriage. Your valet has adamantly declared that you were not in your bed at all last night, but that will matter little to the earls, who are most likely gathered at this moment to try and force you into some kind of action. If you are not married by the end of the day, I am certain you shall be married by the end of the week. If you do not come with me post haste, you will likely have no say in the eventual b ride.”

The gravity of the situation finally penetrated Darcy’s rage, and he looked between his cousins, taking a moment to calm his breathing. “Since I married Elizabeth by special license in the Pemberley Chapel last October with the blessing and consent of her Uncle Gardiner, I am not at all worried about what marriage schemes might be brewing inside Pemberley’s walls. But we must contain this scandal and find some hole in which to hide Caroline Bingley for the rest of her natural life. She was in my bed, you say? Unclothed? Perhaps an Irish nunnery will take her. At least the Catholics know what to do with unbalanced, manipulative w omen.”

Huntley and Richard looked at Darcy with nearly identical expressions of shock. Huntley recovered first. “Did you say you married Miss Elizabeth last Oct ober ?”

“Yes, and we had our own reasons for keeping that information from being generally known outside a very select few persons. Today, that secrecy ends. Someone must stay with Elisha and help get the family settled in a new dwelling. The tenant house is a total loss. At least it is summer and the rains have not yet started. Richard, I would prefer you accompany me back to Pembe rley.”

“Do not worry, Darcy,” Huntley said. “I came specifically for the purpose of staying with the young Mr. Masters. I have no intention of returning to your house until well after the supper hour. I may even ride back to Matlock and hide in my rooms until Mother’s rage cools. Perhaps I shall see you again at Christmas… next year.” With a final nod, Huntley strode away from Darcy and Richard to offer his assistance in relocating the unfortunate family whose entire lives had been destroyed by a fire.

Without another word, Darcy mounted his horse and headed for home with Richard close be hind.

Upon re -e ntering the house, Mrs. Reynolds was met with a barrage of reports from the various maids and footmen trying to contain the situation. Caroline’s outrageous behaviour was noted, but quickly dismissed as unimportant. Elizabeth would handle her soon enough. That Darcy had returned five minutes ago was very good news. Motioning to the new guest she had retrieved from the village, Mrs. Reynolds climbed the main staircase to the master’s s tudy.

Unfortunately, Darcy’s appearance had not settled the storm or brought any kind of order to the assembled e arls.

In fact, for the full five minutes that Darcy had been standing in the doorway to his own study, he had been able to say no more than two words and could only barely keep up with the myriad of voices calling for him to alternatively marry Caroline, don’t marry Caroline, marry Lady such and such, or tell them the t ruth.

Mrs. Reynolds, with the help of two large footmen, cleared the doorway and made an entrance path for her g uest.

“Silence!” The elderly vicar of Pemberley parish walked into the study and used his clear voice, accustomed to commanding the attention of men of wealth, to finally bring the room under regula tion.

Everyone in the room, from the earls to the footmen carefully monitoring the situation, and the one lady nearly forgotten in the back, looked directly at the kindly man of God who had graced the Darcy family with his words of wisdom for nearly forty years. Each man present had listened to his sermons during summer holidays from school spent with friends, or social calls that turned into weeklong visits. The old vicar commanded the respect the cloth rightfully bestowed onto his person and took a moment to look each man of wealth and status in the eye before taking the massive book tucked under his arm to the centre of Darcy’s equally massive desk.

Each and every man could hear the hearty paper rustle as the vicar opened the book to the current date then proceeded to go backwards, showing Lord Matlock that each page was dutifully filled completely, without even one line left empty. When he came to the page detailing October 3, 1812, he merely stopped turning pages and allowed the earl to read.

Just as Lord Matlock’s eyes alighted on the line in the ancient book that stated Fitzwilliam George James Darcy had wed Elizabeth Francine Bennet by special license, the second shrill scream to reverberate against the halls of Pemberley that day rent the sil ence.

Lady Sefton had figured it all o ut the second the vicar had ambled into the room carrying what could only be the church’s official book of records. Combined with the mixture of relief and nervousness on Darcy’s face, she was sure that Darcy and Elizabeth had been married since well before the London season had even started, and they did not want to announce their marriage for some reason or another. There were certainly reasons enough for such deception. His awful relations may have tried to stop the union. Her father’s death was not yet a year in the past. The youngest Bennet had that patched -u p affair with the officer and a baby. Georgiana’s recent debut and the other Bennet sisters who have yet to secure husbands… The reasons mattered not to Lady Se fton.

At one time in her past, the lady was ashamed to admit, they would have mattered a great deal. However, in her middle -a ge , Lady Sefton kept mostly to herself and her family, except when overseeing Almack’s. It was a particular pleasure of the grand lady to watch the young people meeting and dancing away the night during the season, even more so when there was obvious affection between the courting couples. And it had always been overly obvious to Lady Sefton that there was an immense amount of affection between Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet, now known to be Elizabeth D arcy.

Having experienced a marriage built exclusively on money, connections, and social selectiveness, Lady Sefton never wished such a life upon anyone. Even the ridiculous sister - i n -l aw of her nephew, H urst.

Caroline Bingley was the worst kind of money grabbing, social climbing, gossiping harpy that London society had to offer. She was unkind and insincere, even to her siblings. But Lady Sefton knew Caroline was a product of the harsh English society which valued land ownership and a connection to nobility above the things that truly mattered. Well, the misguided young lady was in for quite a shock and an uncomfortable lesson in exactly how cruel the London elite could trul y be.

Entering the yellow parlour, she quickly took stock of the assembled noble ladies, Elizabeth, Georgiana, and Bingley’s sisters. One well -p laced statement would put this whole thing to bed almost immediately. Coming to Elizabeth’s side and taking her hand in a clear sign of respect, Lady Sefton did her part in launching the newly revealed Mrs. Darcy to her rightful p lace.

“My dear Mrs. Darcy, how wonderful it is to finally be free to acknowledge your position in company. I cannot tell you how lovely this house party has been, and so much excitement! You simply must let me tell you that I have not been so entertained in many y ears.”

Elizabeth quickly regained her composure after Lady Sefton’s greeting. It came as no surprise that this lady, the highest and most grand person of their current company, was the one to break the news.

Elizabeth chuckled and shook her head. “Thank you, Lady Sefton. I am very glad that you have found the entertainment to your liking. Please have a seat. Can I offer you some tea and break fast?”

Lady Fiona was the first to find her tongue. “What do you mean calling this servant by the name, ‘Mrs. D arcy’?”

Lady Sefton settled herself in her chair with more care than was strictly necessary and smoothed out the creases in her morning dress before pinning the young woman with a withering look. “What I mean, Lady Fiona, is that Mr. Darcy wed the lovely Miss Elizabeth Bennet ages ago by special license here in Pemberley’s chapel, and I, for one, am glad that they have finally decided to announce their marriage publicly. In fact, the vicar is in the study with all of the men right now, along with the parish records book, to testify to the fact of their marriage.” Lady Sefton decided to play as if she had known all along, to quell as much argument as possible. “Of course, those of us who knew respected their request for privacy. With the unfortunate death of her dear father, it could have been a scandal if the ton knew how quickly they married. But, of course, it is no crime and with five unmarried sisters, I believe it was noble of Mr. Darcy to help his intended’s family in their time of great need and mour ning.”

A small, but shrill noise drew all eyes toward Caroline at the head of the table. After Lady Sefton’s declaration that Elizabeth was Mrs. Darcy, all of the colour drained from Caroline’s face. The lady’s insistence that the Pemberley vicar was with the men put a crushing weight in Caroline’s stomach. All that fear turned to rage upon looking back to Elizabeth. She looked much too content, almost relieved, at Lady Sefton’s words. And there was a particular sparkle in her eyes that Caroline had always absolutely loa thed.

Caroline turned an unhealthy shade of purple, then screamed with all her might and lunged at Eliza beth.