Page 41 of To Love And To Cherish (Pride And Prejudice Variation #3)

The morning brought an express from Scotland, carried in by Walters, and heavy with the weight of Darcy’s quiet hopes.

He rose from the table and excused himself. Alone in the library, he broke the seal on Adam Frazier’s letter without haste, though his pulse had already begun to quicken.

Mr. Darcy,

My brother and I are indeed in the market for property in Dava Moor.

Your estate appears well situated and is offered at a very reasonable price, so reasonable, in fact, I find myself curious as to why you’ve chosen to part with it.

Still, I thank you for reaching out to me first. With three younger brothers to settle, I should like to provide for the second eldest in this way.

If your solicitor will prepare the contract with the attached stipulations, and the terms remain agreeable, I would be pleased to complete the purchase in person. I hope to conclude matters before winter.

Respectfully,

Adam Frazier

Darcy set the letter aside with deliberate calm. This was the answer he had been waiting for. A business matter on the surface, but beneath it, a far more personal mission. One that he dared not reveal, not even to his sister.

He rang the bell and asked Mrs. Reynolds to send Georgiana in.

When she arrived, he gestured to the chair before his desk, though she remained standing. He noted the faint tension in her frame; she had long since learned that pleasantries rarely preceded serious business.

“I am selling my estate in Scotland,” he began. “It lies on Dava Moor. Adam Frazier has expressed a desire to purchase it, and I am writing to my solicitor now. I expect to have a contract prepared by next week, at which time I will travel north to complete the transaction.”

She nodded once. “Will I be coming with you?”

“That is what I wished to discuss,” he said, folding his hands.

“There are several options before you. You may remain here at Pemberley. I could ask the Bingleys and Kitty to stay, if that is your preference. Or you may come with me and see Scotland, it would be a fine opportunity. I could also arrange for you to stay with Uncle Henry and Aunt Helen at Matlock House, or even with Aunt Catherine in Kent. You have long wished to spend time with Anne.”

Georgiana regarded him in silence for a long moment. “I should like to see Scotland,” she said at last. “But it will be so cold for travel, Fitzwilliam. If Charles, Jane, and Kitty remain here, it will be delightful.”

He smiled. “We can ask them. Charles is purchasing an estate only eight miles from Pemberley; the papers should be signed shortly. He’ll want to oversee the kitchen renovations, and Jane may wish to repaper a few rooms. The house has been vacant for over six months and will need a thorough cleaning.

I suspect they’ll be glad to stay close.

And if not, I feel certain Kitty will agree to remain here with you. ”

Georgiana gave a small smile. “Well then, Fitzwilliam, I shall remain here.”

“Very well,” he said, nodding. “We will plan accordingly.”

Darcy removed to the study, closing the door behind him with a quiet sense of resolve. The fire had burned low, casting amber light across the surface of the writing desk. He sat, pulled the inkwell closer, and reached for a clean sheet of paper.

First, he penned a letter to his solicitor in London.

The instructions were clear: draft the formal contract for the sale of Ellan Hall, including the stipulations submitted by the Frazier brothers.

In the same correspondence, Darcy added a second, more personal request, that the solicitor draw up marriage settlements between himself and Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn in Hertfordshire.

Three copies, to be properly witnessed in due course.

Then, with more hesitation than he had shown in years, he turned to compose a letter to Mr. Bennet.

Pemberley, Derbyshire

August 6, 1811

Dear Mr. Bennet,

I write to inform you of my intention to make an offer of marriage to your daughter, Miss Elizabeth Bennet.

At present, I do not know how she will receive my suit, nor do I presume her answer.

Nevertheless, I am making preparations to travel to Scotland within the week for the purpose of presenting my proposal in person.

In the event that she is willing to accept me, I take this opportunity to ask for your permission to wed her and for your blessing on the match.

Enclosed, you will find three copies of the proposed marriage settlements. Should Miss Elizabeth favorably consider my offer, we shall be married in Scotland, and our first journey thereafter will be to Longbourn, so that the documents may be legally executed.

I beg you to make no mention of my intention until I write you again. There will be time enough for discussion should she accept me, a possibility I do not yet count as assured. It may require patience and persuasion on my part to bring her round.

If, however, she should refuse me, I shall write to inform you, and would ask that you destroy the enclosed documents at that time.

If I have any influence in the matter, she shall not refuse me.

Letters may be directed to me care of Ellan House, Dava Moor, Scotland. I shall write again soon to apprise you of my success, or failure, in this endeavor.

With the highest respect,

I remain,

Your obedient servant,

Fitzwilliam Darcy

Five days later, Bingley surprised him by stepping into his study unannounced. Darcy rose and clapped him on the back.

“You look absurdly pleased with yourself, Charles. Has everything gone well with your cousin Jack?”

Bingley grinned. “Darcy, it couldn’t have gone better.

Jack is ecstatic. He and Caroline, along with my aunt, uncle, and Jack’s two sisters, are traveling to Scotland as we speak.

They intend to marry over the anvil, as they say, and then sail for America from Glencaple Quay.

I remained in Yorkshire just long enough to arrange the transfer of Caroline’s dowry.

Jack is thrilled, Caroline is remarkably compliant, and my aunt and uncle are relieved their second son is now well provided for. ”

Darcy gave a short laugh and poured them both a drink. “Well, you are either a genius or a madman. Possibly both.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Bingley replied.

Darcy sipped once, then said lightly, “Charles, I do not know your plans, but I have business in the north. I’m selling my Scottish estate; it’s too far to manage properly.

While profitable, it will be a relief to see it off.

I have received a fair offer from a local gentleman, and I intend to finalize the transaction in person. ”

“Will Georgiana go with you?”

“No. She’s elected to remain here. If you and Jane wish to stay at Pemberley while completing your purchase and beginning the renovations, I would consider it a favor. She’s asked whether Kitty might stay as well.”

“That would be exceedingly convenient,” Bingley said at once. “Now that Caroline is otherwise occupied, Jane and I may finally begin our marriage in peace. It will be much easier to conduct the business of the estate from here, only eight miles away, than from Netherfield.”

Darcy stood and extended his hand. “The ladies are in the drawing room. Shall we inform them?”

They walked down to the drawing room together. Darcy shared the news of his planned journey and confirmed that Georgiana would remain at Pemberley under the care of her friends. The announcement was received with good cheer.

Later, he met with his valet to begin packing. There were papers to gather, ledgers to prepare, and a respectable excuse to rehearse, one that involved acreage, not affection.

And yet as he looked out the window that evening, watching the fading light settle over the emerald green hills, he allowed himself the smallest flicker of hope.

He was going to Scotland to sell an estate.

But if fortune were kind, he would return with something far more precious.

Darcy sat at his writing desk, sealing a letter to his cousin Richard. He enclosed it, along with those addressed to his solicitor and to Mr. Bennet, and handed the packet to his most trusted groom with instructions to ride for London without delay.

“You are to deliver this packet to Darcy House and place it in Hodgkins’s hands,” he said firmly. “Remain there until the sales contract is prepared and bring it back to me. I must take it with me to Scotland.”

The groom bowed and departed. Darcy sat for a moment longer, fingers steepled, staring at the dying fire.

It was done.

He rose and spent the better part of the morning in meetings with his steward and Mrs. Reynolds, reviewing every detail regarding estate management that might require attention during his absence, and most importantly, the comfort and protection of his sister and their guests.

“I do not know how long I shall be gone,” he said quietly. “It will depend on… circumstances.”

Mrs. Reynolds nodded with her usual efficiency, but he caught the glance she exchanged with the steward. No doubt they assumed the sale of Ellan House would take longer than expected. That suited him well enough.

For in truth, he did not know when he would return.

That would depend on Elizabeth.

He harbored no illusions about the difficulty of the task before him.

His chest tightened as he paced the length of his study, each step weighted with uncertainty.

He had given her no cause to believe he admired her.

He had never walked with her, never sought her company.

What little familiarity they had shared six years ago at her relatives’ home in London had been all but erased when he delivered that public set-down at the Meryton assembly.

He pressed his lips together. She would be justified in holding him in contempt. And now she was in the company of a man who had shown her nothing but warmth and respect. A man who knew how to laugh, how to be gentle, how to be present.

And what had he done?

He had stood in corners. He had judged her family. He had admired her from a distance and never once made his regard plain.

Darcy exhaled slowly and rested a hand on the mantel.

Still… six years was no small acquaintance.

Their paths had crossed again at Hertfordshire.

He had been received at Longbourn. There had been words spoken, not romantic ones, but honest ones.

She had once confided in him her worry for Jane.

She had spoken of Helen of Troy, of fate and choice and consequence.

There had been glances, however fleeting.

And during her visit to Netherfield, they had shared quiet moments, small but not insignificant.

He did not know how he would win her affection, but he knew that he must try. With Adam Frazier already in her company, with time and distance working against him, he could not delay.

If she refused him, he would accept it like a man and leave her in peace.

But if there was even a flicker of hope… he would not let it die untended.

Darcy turned back to the desk and began to draft the list of items he would need for travel. As he wrote, he began to relax.

The journey would take seven to nine days by private coach. The winter roads would be long, the cold unrelenting, and the outcome uncertain.

But he was going to Scotland, not for Ellan House.

For Elizabeth