Page 43 of Suddenly Married

Mrs. Reynolds could scarcely believe what she heard. She had never liked Miss Bingley, but she had not imagined she could be so presumptuous as to give orders in a house where she was nothing more than a guest. Before she could intervene, Mr. Darcy, unable to contain his anger, spoke abruptly.

"Miss Bingley, I insist that you never address Mrs. Reynolds in that tone again, and still less that you presume to disrespect my wife by issuing commands in her own house. Pemberley has a mistress, and her name is Elizabeth Darcy!"

Mr. Darcy drew a deep breath to steady himself. Then, turning to his friend Charles, he added, "Bingley, if you and your family are fatigued, you may dine immediately. If you can wait half an hour, my wife and I shall join you."

"Of course, we can wait. Please do not trouble yourself," Mr. Bingley replied. He, Louisa, and Mr. Hurst were so embarrassed by the scene Caroline had provoked that they sat in silence for the next half hour.

Caroline was incensed by Mr. Darcy's rebuke. How could he be so blind as not to see how unsuitable and vulgar Eliza was? Still, she resolved to contain herself, joined the rest of her family in the drawing room, and waited for the host.

Once he had finished speaking, Mr. Darcy hastened to his wife's chambers. He needed to speak with her at once; his chief concern was whether she was well, and to learn what had caused her to arrive so late and so wet.

Elizabeth was weary and emotionally drained.

She no longer wished to continue living in such a manner.

Since her father's death, much had transpired that she was only now beginning to understand.

First came the uncertainty brought on by his sudden passing; then, the grief of losing Mr. Bennet so abruptly; and finally, the necessity of leaving her home and the only life she had ever known.

All of this had driven her, almost without realising it, to seek refuge in the one person who had offered her help and comfort—Mr. Darcy.

She knew she would never have agreed to marry him under ordinary circumstances, and still less to be separated from her family in the manner he had contrived.

Thus, after seeing her husband with those harpies, Elizabeth could not help but feel disappointed in herself.

While he entertained his friends at home, she had been obliged to walk for hours to visit her uncle and aunt.

The Gardiners were refined and kind, while Mr. Bingley's sisters were rude and malicious.

But this would soon end. She would not make a scene before the Bingleys; however, as soon as they departed, she intended to have a serious conversation with her husband.

Nearly six months had passed since her father's death, and she no longer wished to be estranged from those she loved.

Having seen her mother and sisters well and protected by two admirable men, she felt strong enough to face Mr. Darcy and tell him all she thought of him—calmly, but firmly.

She was in love and did not wish to wound him, yet she would no longer allow him to hurt her.

When Mr. Darcy entered his wife's room, she was in the dressing room with her maid, changing her wet clothes.

Two damp letters and a note near the fireplace caught his attention.

It seemed Elizabeth had left them there to dry.

The letters were sealed, but the note was merely folded.

Unable to resist his curiosity, he opened it at once.

Unfortunately, the words were blurred, the water having washed away part of the ink, so that only fragments could be read:

This chain represents ******** love ***** ********* this is yours.

With love,

Lawrence *********

Hearing Elizabeth approach, he placed the note beside the letters and stepped away from the fireplace.

Mr. Darcy asked Claire to leave them alone for a few minutes, as he needed to speak with his wife.

As soon as the maid had gone, he asked, "Can you explain what happened?

I have been worried for hours, not knowing where you were. "

"I am sorry, Mr. Darcy. I went for a walk and lost track of time.

Had I known you would be receiving guests, I would have planned my time better.

But, of course, you have every right to invite whomever you please to your house; you need not inform me or ask for my permission.

" Elizabeth spoke sharply enough for Mr. Darcy to sense her displeasure.

He did not wish to quarrel—not after what had happened with Miss Bingley, and not after reading that note.

So he merely said, "I did not know the Bingleys would arrive today.

Owing to the rains of recent weeks, the mail has been delayed, and thus, they arrived unexpectedly.

I shall let you finish dressing and will wait for you in the drawing room with our guests. " He left the room at once.

'Your guests,' Elizabeth muttered, though her husband could not hear her.

Mr. Darcy began to wonder who Lawrence was and why he sent gifts accompanied by tender notes to his wife. He was a cold and rational man, yet he had never imagined he could feel the depth of jealousy he experienced at that moment.

Elizabeth asked Claire to arrange her hair neatly.

She then put on a beautiful dress Jane had given her in London, along with the chain bearing a small gold heart that her sister and brother-in-law had sent.

After checking her reflection to ensure she looked presentable, she went to the drawing room, prepared to endure the company of her most unpleasant visitors.

◆◆◆

Mr. Darcy had returned to the drawing room in body only; his mind was far away in restless speculation.

Again and again, he wondered who Lawrence might be.

He had even, in a moment of absurdity, considered contacting his solicitor in London to hire a private investigator to discover the man's identity.

However, he dismissed the notion at once, realising that such an action would be unworthy of both himself and his wife.

Lawrence must be a cousin or some near relation of Mr. or Mrs. Bennet—perhaps the merchant uncle's son.

Mr. Bingley spoke for several minutes about his plans for the coming months, and Mr. Darcy responded only with brief nods or monosyllables. Caroline assumed that his reserve was due to some quarrel with foolish Eliza.

Determined to capture his attention, she moved closer to engage him in trivial conversation, eager to prove that she could offer him the comfort and satisfaction he would never find in his wife.

"Mr. Darcy, I am very sorry for my behaviour earlier.

But seeing your wife all muddy reminded me of when she came to Netherfield in a similar fashion, and how you once said you would not wish your sister to act in such a manner.

" Caroline spoke and flirted in turn, while Mr. Darcy ignored the substance of her words.

"My wife enjoys the beauties of nature; I see nothing wrong in that," Mr. Darcy replied sharply.

At that moment, Elizabeth entered the room, elegantly dressed and looking beautiful.

Mr. Darcy's attention was instantly fixed upon her.

He was pleased to see she was no longer in mourning attire, for it meant she was at last emerging from that sombre period of her life.

His satisfaction, however, was short-lived when he noticed the chain with a gold heart about her neck—a piece of jewellery he had never seen before.

It was the same ornament mentioned in the note.

Lawrence had given her a simple trinket, and she wore it immediately, while the set of jewels he had commissioned especially for her had failed even to draw a pretense of delight.

"Good evening; thank you very much for waiting for me. You know how much I enjoy walking, and with the rain, my plans were, unfortunately, delayed," Elizabeth said as she greeted the guests.

"Do not trouble yourself, Mrs. Darcy," Mr. Bingley replied kindly, while the rest of his family regarded her with disapproving eyes. "Besides, from what Darcy has told me, he never received my message about our arrival, so please do not be concerned."

"Thank you, Mr. Bingley, for your understanding."

Caroline once more took Mr. Darcy's arm to be escorted to the dining room, and—still wounded and prey to his insecurities—he allowed it. Mr. Bingley offered his arm to Elizabeth, who accepted and ignored her husband.

As they walked to the dining room, Mr. Bingley spoke of having seen Jane a few days earlier and of how well and happy she appeared. "Mrs. Clark will be an excellent mother; I have no doubt of it," he told Mrs. Darcy.

Elizabeth was glad Jane had reconciled with Mr. Bingley.

He was weak and easily influenced, but he remained a good-hearted man who had always been kind to her and her family.

"Thank you, Mr. Bingley, for your words," was all she said.

They were approaching the dining room, and she would not discuss her family in her husband's presence.

Dinner was tedious. Only Mr. Bingley showed her any courtesy. Mrs. Hurst and her husband ignored her entirely, and Caroline monopolised the conversation with gossip about people Elizabeth did not know, all the while shamelessly flirting with Mr. Darcy, who scarcely seemed to notice her presence.

Elizabeth was angry with her husband. He appeared absent, leaving her to bear the weight of the conversation and the duty of attending to the guests. Miss Bingley's repeated sardonic remarks went unchecked by him, which only emboldened her to continue in the same fashion.

"Miss Eliza, do you go out for hours every day, or only when it rains?" Caroline asked, as she and her sister laughed.

"Caroline, remember she is no longer Miss Elizabeth, but Mrs. Darcy. Besides, Pemberley is so beautiful that anyone would wish to walk in its grounds," said Mr. Bingley, hoping to interrupt his sister's malice.