Page 34 of The Talented Daughters of Longbourn
Office
Darcy House
London
Darcy studied the topmost of a stack of letters on his desk as he sharpened his quill pens, the ink and blotters and the little box of sand laid out neatly in a row on the perfectly ordered surface.
Sunlight slanted in through the vast windows, turning the brown carpet to a rich golden amber and brightening the mahogany desk with its straight stacks of correspondence and ledgers.
The view was not prepossessing at this time of year; the office on the back of the house looked out over the formal gardens, which were dull and drab in winter. But the sky was a pale blue with no clouds, and the sunshine warmed the indoors, which was pleasant.
The scratching of knife on nub ceased, and the penknife clicked against wood as Darcy set it into the box.
The fire crackled and popped, as a log shifted and sent a spray of sparks up the flue.
Down the hall, strains of Beethoven filtered through the halls as Georgiana played happily in the music room.
There was a tap on the door, which opened promptly to reveal Richard Fitzwilliam, whose eyes were twinkling devilishly. Darcy laid down his pen and considered his cousin uneasily.
“What is it, Fitzwilliam?”
“We have been summoned to Matlock House for dinner two days from now, Darcy.”
Darcy frowned. It was no great surprise that the Earl and his lady wished to host the Darcys and their second son, but why the lurking amusement on his cousin’s face?
“And?” he demanded.
“ And Lady Catherine and Anne are in London, and they will be attending the dinner as well.”
Darcy blinked.
Fitzwilliam winked back.
“No,” Darcy said.
“I am afraid so,” Fitzwilliam returned, wandering over to pour himself a glass of Madeira. “Anne has been battling a cough for two months, and Lady Catherine finally decided to bring our cousin to Town to see a physician.”
“I confess to being both surprised and pleased. Our cousin has been sickly for a long time, and generally Lady Catherine refuses to consult anyone but Doctor Gimball in Kent.”
“I suspect , though of course I cannot be certain , that our aunt was motivated by the news that you are intending to spend December, at least, in Town.”
Darcy released a groan, which sounded more or less like an unhappy seal.
“Yes, it is quite tedious, Cousin,” Richard said, obviously amused, “but think of it this way; you may have an opportunity to clarify the situation with both Lady Catherine and Cousin Anne.”
Darcy winced and walked over to pour himself a glass of wine. He threw it down rather quickly, provoking a cough, and when he had recovered he asked, “Do you think that Anne will be terribly disappointed?”
Richard considered his cousin thoughtfully and then said, “I do not know. If she is, you are not responsible for that.”
“Am I not? I should have made a decision long ago regarding whether I would marry Cousin Anne. She is already four and twenty, and if I do not wed her, she will be on the shelf.”
The former colonel huffed and said, “You have chosen thus far not to offer for Anne which is, in itself, a message. Any rational person would realize that you have never been enthusiastic about the match.”
“I would not say that Lady Catherine is rational.”
“She is indeed not, and when and if you make it clear that you will not marry her daughter, she will be outraged. But again, that matters not. You are not responsible for our aunt’s wishes or her foolish behavior.”
“Do you truly believe that? I am the master of my house, and your father would be rightly incensed if I provoked a family quarrel.”
The colonel waved a casual hand and said, “Darcy, my father knows as well as we do that our Aunt Catherine is autocratic to the point of absurdity. He will hardly blame you for the lady’s idiocy.”
/
The Office
Netherfield
“Mr. Bennet, sir,” the butler announced.
Bingley, who was toiling grimly through a series of sums, lifted his head with a mixture of relief and surprise.
The man standing to the right of his butler was younger than he expected, given that the recently deceased Mr. Bennet had been at least fifty years of age.
The current Mr. Bennet could not be much more than thirty.
The gentleman was dressed in black clothing, as befitted his mourning status, and his figure was good, though his height was a trifle lacking.
“Please do come in and sit down, Mr. Bennet,” Bingley said, rising to his feet and bowing a little.
Josiah Bennet bowed in return and took a chair near the fire. Bingley offered him brandy, which he accepted, and a minute later both men were seated across from one another, sipping from their glasses.
“Mr. Bingley,” Josiah said, “I hope that I am not disturbing you in your work.”
“Not at all,” his host said, and grinned ruefully. “In truth, I greatly welcome the respite from adding columns of figures. ”
“I understand! Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe we are in the same position in that we have not previously been responsible for the oversight of an estate?”
“You are entirely right, sir,” Bingley said, “and I confess that I am making heavy weather of it. My friend Darcy makes it seem easy, but then he has a great deal of experience.”
“Experience is most helpful, and I too am sadly lacking. I am thankful for my niece, Elizabeth, who was assisting her father during the last months of his illness. In any case, I hope that since we are neighbors, you will feel free to discuss areas of mutual interest, like fences, and tenant problems, and so on.”
“That would be wonderful,” Bingley declared, and he meant it.
He was confident that he was correct in his decision to stay at Netherfield and put his hand to the plow, so to speak, but he did feel lost without Darcy in residence.
There was comfort in having a neighbor who claimed to be as confused as he was.
“There is one other matter,” Josiah said.
“Yes?”
“Do you have any knowledge of a man named Mr. George Wickham? ”
“A little. He and Darcy are on very poor terms, I fear.”
“Yes, and based on my information received from several quarters, it seems the man is inclined to run up debts and seduce young girls. I do not think that such an individual ought to be allowed free rein to prey on the people of Meryton.”
Bingley grimaced. “I quite agree. What do you think should be done?”
“I have spoken to my wife Charlotte,” Bennet said.
“She is the elder daughter of Sir William and Lady Lucas. Charlotte has agreed to share the news to the local ladies of Wickham’s proclivities.
I think perhaps you and I should speak with my father-in-law, Sir William Lucas.
We three men are, in terms of wealth and position, the leading men of the community.
We ought to be able to spread the word among the tradesmen and tenant farmers to keep them safe from Wickham. ”
“Should we talk to Colonel Forster as well?” Bingley asked.
Josiah considered this and then nodded. “I think that would be wise, though I have not yet met the man.”
Bingley rubbed his forehead and replied, “I think perhaps it would be better if I did not speak directly to the Colonel. I know that Darcy and Wickham are on dreadful terms, and I am Darcy’s friend.
Colonel Forster might have a difficult time believing my testimony, since I am close friends with Wickham’s enemy. ”
“That is an excellent point. My father-in-law knows Colonel Forster moderately well, I think?”
“I believe so, as Sir William is quite the friendliest gentleman in the neighborhood.”
“He is also the magistrate,” Josiah mused. “Yes, I think that will work well; we will meet with Colonel Forster so he knows the nature of the snake in his midst.”
“And I will talk to the housekeeper here and warn her that the servant girls must be careful about Wickham.”
/
December 5th, 1811
Longbourn
Dear Miss Darcy,
I hope you are pleasantly settled in London now.
I was expecting to travel to Town myself, but our plans have changed a little.
My mother and two of my sisters, Jane and Lydia, are journeying to Cheapside today in company with my mother’s brother, Mr. Gardiner.
My female relations will be staying in my Uncle Josiah and Aunt Charlotte’s London house for a few weeks.
My mother is eager to purchase additional mourning clothes.
My sister, Kitty, bids that I greet you on her behalf. She wishes to assure you that if your brother does choose to acquire angora rabbits, Kitty will be glad to give advice on the matter. I will add that Kitty is genuinely an expert with the furry little creatures and can provide good counsel.
The weather continues to grow colder, and even I am disinclined to walk for long out of doors. My Aunt Charlotte, Kitty, and I are working to prepare baskets for the local tenants as Christmas gifts.
I do have intentions of journeying to London in a month or two, but it depends on a number of factors, so my plans are not yet final.
Please give my greetings to Mr. Darcy and Mr. Fitzwilliam
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Bennet