Page 2 of The Twelfth Knight

The screech that rang out an instant after Darcy’s aunt entered the drawing room was sharp enough to make him wince.

A second afterward, she ran in an equally undignified manner across the room to throw her arms around her youngest son, whom she had not seen in too many years.

“Theodore! My darling boy!” the countess cried as she wept into his shoulder.

“Mother, I am a man in my thirties—hardly a boy,” Fitzwilliam jested as she stood back from him.

Lady Disley lifted her hands to his cheeks and said, “I am your mother, Theodore Fitzwilliam. To me you will always be a boy—and when you finally give me grandchildren, you will understand.”

“Frances, do give our son time to settle in before you begin haranguing him about getting married,” said Lord Disley. The earl then stepped up next to his wife and held out his hand. “Welcome home, son.”

Fitzwilliam nodded as he shook his father’s hand, then grinned and pulled him in for a hug. The usually stoic Earl of Disley stiffened for a moment, a frown on his face, but he then relaxed and returned the embrace heartily.

While these interactions were going on, Elizabeth was greeting Georgiana. Darcy glanced over at the pair and felt his heart plummet a little.

His sister was studiously avoiding his gaze, which meant that she was still cross.

Darcy suppressed a sigh—and the urge to pinch his nose as he so often did when frustrated—and went forward to greet her as his cousin explained to the earl and countess how he had come to be in England so soon.

“Good afternoon, Georgiana.”

Her good breeding forced her to look up. Georgiana’s gaze remained cool as she replied, “Good afternoon, Fitzwilliam.”

“How are you?” Darcy asked.

“I am well, thank you.”

Elizabeth, obviously sensing the tension that remained between them, said softly, “Why don’t I go with you to your room, and we can talk while you change?”

Georgiana’s expression lightened a fraction as she regarded Elizabeth. “Yes, I should like that.”

Elizabeth smiled and spared Darcy a glance that conveyed her intentions clearly: she would share with Georgiana what had been agreed upon about her and Tom Bertram.

He still wasn’t sanguine about the idea, but both Elizabeth and his cousin had convinced him that getting to know the man better and giving him a chance to prove himself worthy was the only way he would repair his relationship with his sister.

Darcy knew he would do just about anything short of murder to make Georgiana smile at him again.

He did not see her again until she appeared in the drawing room before dinner. Elizabeth had told him while they dressed that hearing her brother had amended his stance and was willing to get to know Mr. Bertram had lifted Georgiana’s spirits. She actually smiled at him when she came into the drawing room, and after asking for a private word, she said,

“Thank you, Fitzwilliam.”

Darcy resisted the urge to grimace and replied, “I am not sanctioning a courtship just yet, Georgiana. I have only agreed to get to know the man and his family better.”

“That is a start,” said she. “As I am certain Elizabeth has told you, I have been corresponding with Mr. Bertram’s sister-by-marriage, who is also the cousin who was reared at Mansfield Park from the age of ten. If anyone should know Mr. Bertram intimately, she does. Fanny says—that is, Mrs. Edmund Bertram—that since recovering from his illness a few years back, her cousin is almost a completely different person.”

“It is the ‘almost’ that concerns me, dearest,” Darcy pointed out. “That and the fact that the family suffered a scandal. I do not want your reputation to be maligned by gossip because of it. Have you spoken to your aunt about your interest in Mr. Bertram?”

Georgiana arched an eyebrow. “As a matter of fact, I have. Aunt Frances is not entirely sanguine and agrees with you insofar as being concerned about the previous scandal. But she also agrees with me and Elizabeth that a person can change.”

Darcy glanced briefly over his shoulder at where his wife stood with the Disleys and Fitzwilliam. “Elizabeth?” he queried.

Georgiana crossed her arms. “Yes, Elizabeth. Though I am fairly certain she has already expressed her views to you, I know that she has exchanged letters with our aunt and told her how you changed between the time she met you and the time she agreed to marry you. Granted, Mr. Bertram’s circumstances are different, but it is still the same concept, William. Just as you learned from Elizabeth’s scolding, Tom’s illness made him learn from his mistakes.”

Darcy cleared his throat. “So, she has shared with you that I proposed to her twice—and how the first was a disaster.”

Georgiana grinned. “She has indeed. Dear brother, I am still astonished you could be so foolish as to insult a woman’s family while claiming to love her ardently.”

Heat rose up Darcy’s neck. “Please, do not remind me of my own ignorance. And you have made your point, as did Theodore and Elizabeth. I have agreed to write to Mr. Bertram after Boxing Day and ask that he be in London for the early part of the Season in January. I can give you no assurances other than that I am willing to listen to his side of the story.”

With a sigh, Georgiana nodded. “And for that much, I am very glad. Thank you, again.”

She started to move away from him, but Darcy reached out and touched her arm. When she turned back, he searched her questioning gaze and asked, “Are you truly attached to Mr. Bertram? You only met him three times.”

The way the light in her eyes changed, the way her smile spread, told Darcy that she was indeed attached, though Georgiana’s reply was “I cannot say that I love him, of course, though his sister’s letters to me have said so much about him—thus I know him a little better than three meetings would suggest. But I do admire him very much, brother, and I am truly happy that you are willing to get to know him better, so that I may do so as well. Now, I must speak to Theodore and thank him for helping to change your mind.”

“I have not changed it yet,” Darcy reminded her.

His sister grinned. “’Yet’ being the operative word,” she replied in an impertinent tone that she surely had picked up from Elizabeth. Darcy could only shake his head as she walked away, wondering where the shy little sister of only a few years before had gone.

Dinner was a relaxed affair, in which Elizabeth delighted Lord Disley with stories about his namesake. The earl was quite pleased, though he expressed his disappointment that they had not arrived early enough for him to see the boy before his bedtime.

“I shall never forgive Philip for not naming his son after me,” he grumbled.

Lady Disley shook her head in that way she had when her husband was being ridiculous. “My dear, neither of our sons were named after you,” she said. “And Sophia was raised without a father, so it was natural for her to name her son after her mother.”

Lord Disley dismissed her words with a wave. “Oh, I know, I was just grousing for the sake of it. You know I love Julian even if he is named after his grandmother.”

“I should hope so, Father,” spoke up Fitzwilliam. “After all, Julian will take your place as Earl of Disley and head of the family one of these days.”

“Indeed, he will, Theodore, but not before his father does, and that won’t be for many years yet,” said Lord Disley.

“Our Father in Heaven willing,” added Lady Disley with a loving smile in her husband’s direction.

Fitzwilliam cleared his throat then. “Um, speaking of titles,” he began in a nervous tone that drew the attention of everyone at the table. “I have some news for you. It will, of course, be printed in the Boxing Day papers, but one of the reasons I have come home earlier than expected is because Prinny—that is, His Highness, the Prince Regent—demanded it. You see, it is his intention to reward twelve men with a knighthood for their efforts to defend and protect England during the wars with Napoleon, and apparently, my general nominated me to be one of the recipients.”

There was silence for half a heartbeat, before Lord Disley slapped his hand on the table and cried out, “Well of course, you are! Wellington is no fool—he knows a sharp mind and a brave man when he sees one. You were his most invaluable aide de camp!”

Lady Disley sniffed, then said, “His Grace should have pressed for more than a knighthood for our son—he is, after all, descended from an ancient and noble bloodline. He could have at least tried to get him a viscountcy.”

Fitzwilliam laughed. “Oh, Mother! Why am I not surprised that a knighthood does not satisfy you?”

“Oh, do not misunderstand me, dearest—I am happy for you. You’ve given up so many years of your life for King and country, and your sacrifice should be rewarded,” his mother returned. “But really! Your father is an earl; you deserve greater recognition than a mere knighthood. He could have sought to get you a barony, at least, that you could be addressed as Lord…whatever.”

Darcy watched as his cousin chuckled again and shook his head. Fitzwilliam was reaching for his wineglass as he said, “Mother, I assure you, I take no offense at receiving a ‘mere’ knighthood. That my service was recognized by General Wellesley and His Highness is truly honor enough.”

“And I must say,” put in Elizabeth, “that ‘Sir Theodore’ does sound rather fetching.”

“Indeed, it does, cousin,” Fitzwilliam replied with a grin as he raised his wineglass in salute.

Lady Disley released a small huff. “Oh, very well. I shall get used to it, I am sure. But I do think I shall have a word or two with His Grace about getting you something better in the near future.”

Lord Disley and Fitzwilliam only shook their heads, while Elizabeth and Georgiana exchanged smiles. Darcy scoffed silently and found himself wondering if his aunt’s determination might just get her what she wanted.

It usually did, after all.

-…-

Christmas passed with much cheer. The earl and countess, as well as Georgiana, were delighted with the news that Darcy and Elizabeth were expecting another child.

“I wonder if dear young Richard would prefer a brother or a sister,” Lady Disley mused.

Elizabeth laughed. “My lady, I daresay at his age, his only concern will be losing the entirety of our attention.”

Lord Disley snorted. “Indeed. Philip was quite jealous, at first, to not be the center of attention once Theodore came along.”

“Oh, I do remember that,” said Lady Disley with a chuckle. “If I may offer some advice, my dear, do what you can to include your son in everything, and be sure to pay him as much attention as possible once the next little Darcy is here.”

“Thank you, Aunt,” said Darcy.

“Indeed,” added Elizabeth. “In fact, that was exactly my plan, Your Ladyship, and I am pleased to have my thoughts confirmed by one with more experience as a mother than myself.”

This praise led Lady Disley to beam a self-satisfied smile. She and her husband were then delighted to be left with the care of their great-nephew on Boxing Day as the Darcys went out to pay calls on their tenants and deliver baskets of food and other items they intended to give as gifts.

Much to everyone’s relief, the weather did not worsen over the next few days, making their journey to London relatively uncomplicated. Some of the roads were in poor condition, which made passage difficult for the horses and carriage wheels, and with Elizabeth being in a delicate condition and travel with a toddler having its own set of complications, Darcy insisted on stopping at an inn each night. Thus, the party from Pemberley did not arrive in Town until the first day of 1816.

Once she was settled in, Elizabeth’s first task was to write a letter to her friend Mrs. Bertram, informing the lady of their arrival. Letters had already been exchanged between the ladies regarding Darcy’s decision to give Tom Bertram a chance to prove himself worthy of Georgiana, and Mrs. Bertram and her husband—as well as Tom, of course—had agreed to make the journey in order to support the courtship.

My father-by-marriage , Mrs. Bertram had written, has asked me to express his gratitude for the change in Mr. Darcy’s stance on this matter, for though he met Miss Darcy only once last Season, he was delighted with her. He has said that he also had not seen my brother so serious about a young lady, which has made him hopeful of a happy future for his son .

Elizabeth had been entirely in agreement with the sentiment, and per Georgiana’s wishes, added a few lines of her sentiments for a happy reunion with the family.

Especially Tom.

The reply that arrived about an hour after the missive had been dispatched included an invitation to dine at Bertram House in two days’ time. When the invitation had been made known to Darcy, he visibly clenched his jaw and started to groan, until Elizabeth gently reminded him that he had agreed to get to know Mr. Bertram better.

The low groan became a sigh. “You are right, of course, my darling,” said Darcy. “I know that I must keep an open mind, but… it is difficult to change such ingrained upbringing.”

Elizabeth moved behind the desk in his study, at which he was sitting, to lower herself onto his lap and wrap her arms about his shoulders. After touching her lips to his temple, she said, “My love, you changed your ideals for me, and for our happiness. Be willing to change them for your sister’s. Georgiana has confided that she admires him very much, and you must see that she’s been more serious about Mr. Bertram than she has been about any other suitor.”

Darcy huffed. “She has indeed.”

“Exactly. And given how kind and generous a heart our sister has, perhaps you ought to consider that if Georgiana can see the good in Mr. Bertram, then there is proof that he has changed.”

“Forgive me, my love, but Georgiana saw the good in George Wickham, as well, and look how that turned out,” Darcy groused.

Elizabeth sighed in frustration. “Fitzwilliam, I thought we had agreed never to hold that against her. I even learned not to hold Lydia’s foolishness against her when she fell for his lies.”

“And they are both of them the better off that he died in the war,” Darcy mused. He then released his own sigh and wrapped his arms around her, giving her a gentle squeeze.

“You are right again, my dearest Elizabeth,” he said. “Georgiana’s past misfortunes should not be held against her. And I know that she has grown and matured, and her judgment in others has vastly improved.”

He turned his head and Elizabeth saw resignation in his eyes. Lifting her hand to his cheek she said, “It really is hard for you to let her go, isn’t it?”

Darcy nodded. “It is. Pray we never have a daughter, Elizabeth, for I suspect I shall forbid her to marry until I am dead.”

Elizabeth chuckled, then lowered her head to rest it against his. “Perish the thought—both of them. We must have at least one daughter, and you are ordered to live forever, or at least to live longer than me—for I cannot live a single day without you.”

Darcy gave her another squeeze. “Then we must perish at the exact same moment, my love, for I cannot live a single day without you.”

They sat in silence, holding each other so long that their breaths came in tandem, before Darcy sighed once more and said at last, “Do write back to Mrs. Bertram and accept her invitation. Tell her we are delighted to dine with them.”

Elizabeth smiled. “I will do so at once.”