Page 53 of To Love And To Cherish (Pride And Prejudice Variation #3)

Darcy presented his card and was promptly admitted to his aunt’s elegant townhouse in Berkeley Square. The drawing room was a vision of refined taste and quiet opulence, a reflection of its sole occupant, Lady Helen, who looked up from her correspondence with a brow arched in surprise.

“Fitzwilliam! I did not expect to see you again until March, or perhaps April.”

He gave her a sheepish grin and bowed. “Nor did I, Aunt. I had intended to remain away until I had settled on a suitable candidate to be my wife. Alas, none of the diamonds of the first water appealed.”

Her brow arched. “Indeed? Two of those diamonds are now betrothed.”

His smile widened. “How curious. Which two?”

She laughed. “Not the diamonds, actually. Miss Emily Fitzgerald, with her tidy dowry of forty thousand pounds, is engaged to Lord Peregrine Montague.”

Darcy chuckled. “Montague? He has mortgaged every inch of his estate. He would endure a glacier for that fortune.”

Lady Helen gave him a reproving look. “Fitzwilliam, you do say the most dreadful things.”

“I beg your pardon, Aunt. I forgot myself. And who is the other?”

She hesitated, then smiled. “I hardly dare say, for fear of your commentary. Miss Harriet Beaumont to Mr. Hawkins.”

He snorted. “A sanctimonious match if ever there was one. She and Cornelius Hawkins shall spend their marriage judging the world over breakfast. But I have to admit they are a perfect match for one another.”

Lady Helen chuckled despite herself. “What, then, brings you back so soon? Have you come to request another dinner for the lesser heiresses?”

He shook his head. “No, Aunt. I am come to place the announcement of my marriage in the papers, and to ask for your assistance.”

Lady Helen blinked. “Your marriage?”

Before she could recover her wits, the drawing room door opened again.

“Darcy, a married man?” Richard Fitzwilliam strode in, grinning. “I thought none of the young ladies at my mother’s dinner so much as roused you from your sulk.”

Darcy turned to greet his cousin. “And yet you, Richard, are not betrothed either. I take it none of the diamonds glittered for you?”

“I would rather remain single and penniless,” Richard replied with a grimace, “than tie myself to any of those man-eaters.”

Darcy laughed. “How fortunate, then, that the Viscount is contentedly married and has two sons; you are safe from being sacrificed to the cause.”

Richard dropped onto the settee beside him. “Come now, Cousin. Tell us about the mysterious lady who captured the mighty Fitzwilliam Darcy.”

Darcy’s expression softened. “She very nearly slipped through my fingers. A Scottish laird fancied her as an ornament for his ancestral castle in the Caledonian forest. By the by, he breeds horses, Richard. You should see my latest acquisition.”

“You’ve piqued my interest,” Richard said. “I’m in the market for a stallion. When can I see him?”

Lady Helen cleared her throat. “Boys, if you please. I wish to hear about your wife, Fitzwilliam.”

Darcy turned to her. “Aunt, on paper, Elizabeth Bennet may not impress. Her dowry is nonexistent, her relations are not of the first rank, but she is everything a man could desire. Intelligent, spirited, kind. She delights in the absurd, speaks four languages, and possesses the rarest wit. We are very well suited. And she makes me very happy.”

Lady Helen was quiet for a moment. Then, with narrowed eyes, she asked, “That all sounds very fine, Fitzwilliam. But what are you not telling me? You are keeping something back.”

Color rose to his cheekbones. “I only wish for your help in easing her into society. I fear she will be targeted by the more feral members of the ton.”

“As long as you have not married your cook, I daresay I can manage,” Lady Helen said dryly. “Come, out with it. What is the worst?”

Richard leaned forward. “He could marry the milkmaid and still manage the scandal, with his fortune.”

Darcy gave him a grateful glance. “It is simply this: Elizabeth’s family is closely connected to trade. Her father’s estate is modest and entailed away from the female line. However, her younger sister is married to the heir.”

Richard perked up. “Have you had Kendal or his son review the entail? They might find a way to break it.”

Darcy’s eyes brightened. “An excellent idea. We are going to Longbourn next week to sign the marriage settlements. I shall obtain a copy of the entail then.”

Lady Helen gave a satisfied nod. “Very good. And the rest of her family?”

“The next sister, Catherine, has been with Georgiana this winter and is soon to meet Daniel Grant in Kent.”

Richard scratched his chin. “Grant? Do you mean Humphrey Grant’s son? The shy one?”

“The same.”

“I’ve heard he’s not simple, just painfully awkward. Good luck to Miss Catherine.”

Darcy stiffened. “Should I investigate?”

“No, no,” Richard said. “I meant no harm. He’s said to be respectable. Perhaps he’s simply like you, Cousin.”

Darcy glared. “I’ll thank you to keep your opinions on my social graces to yourself.”

Lady Helen interjected. “And the fifth sister?”

“She’s still in school, a seminary in London.”

“You must see to her future as well, Fitzwilliam. With your support, she may marry well.”

Darcy nodded. “We shall.”

Lady Helen asked, “Is Elizabeth the eldest?”

Darcy replied, “No, Jane is the eldest. She married my friend Bingley. You remember Charles, Aunt Helen, Charles Bingley.”

His aunt blanched.

Darcy added quickly, “Charles has never worked in trade, Aunt. It is true his fortune comes from trade, but he has never engaged in it himself. He has just purchased an estate in Derbyshire, so he is now a landed gentleman.”

His aunt considered this. “The man himself is well enough, but the sister…”

Darcy laughed, his tone deep and resonant. “Bingley married her off to a second cousin, and she is sailing to America in March. We will not have her underfoot, Aunt.”

Lady Helen gave a satisfied nod. “That is very well done, then.”

She leaned forward. “What about this trade connection?”

“Her uncle, Edward Gardiner, is a merchant in London. Her other uncle is a solicitor in Hertfordshire.”

Richard looked thoughtful. “Gardiner… isn’t he the one Lord Pembroke just invested with? Something about a housing development. The offices are near Cheapside, I believe. But that Gardiner is no mere tradesman; he is an investor, and very much sought after.”

Darcy sat straighter. “It might be the same man. Gardiner doubled my own investment before my grand tour.”

Lady Helen looked at Richard. “You ought to speak to your father. If Mr. Gardiner is in such demand, Fitzwilliam may be thought clever for securing him as family.”

“Quite,” Richard said. “I will look into Gardiner today, Mother. As for Mrs. Darcy, if she is neither vulgar nor grasping, society will overlook the rest, soon enough.”

Lady Helen nodded. “We shall call it a love match, that, at least, is true. And we will introduce her at a ball held in her honor.”

Darcy sighed. “Must we have a ball?”

“Certainly,” Lady Helen replied. “You’re no longer a nonpareil, Fitzwilliam. You need to dance only with your wife, and no one will mind. One of the benefits of being a married man.”

He relented. “Very well. Plan the ball for eight weeks from now. I’ll arrange the announcement and sign the settlements at Longbourn.” He grimaced and added sardonically, “And then return to London for a round of social engagements and delights.”

His aunt sniffed. “You will thank me when, years from now, you are obliged to return and find spouses for your own children. Set the foundation now; it will serve you well. In fact, Georgiana will benefit in another year or two.”

Darcy huffed. “Very well, Aunt. As for Georgiana, perhaps in three or four years, unless she should fall in love with a man so exceptional that waiting would be sheer folly. Though I won’t hold my breath.”

“Excellent,” she said. Then her eyes narrowed. “Who is managing her wardrobe?”

“She and Georgiana are at Madame Dupree’s today.”

Lady Helen relaxed. “Very well. I shall send Gibbs, Lady Danville’s former maid. She’s a genius with hair and fashion and knows exactly how to prepare a woman for society.”

Darcy smiled. “Thank you, Aunt.”

“I will take tea with your wife and Georgiana at four. I shall judge for myself whether she is an Incomparable.”

Darcy stood and kissed her cheek. “You are very good to me. I shall go to my solicitor now and instruct him to publish the announcement.”

Richard rose beside him. “After, perhaps you’ll take me to meet your new uncle. I’m eager to invest.”

Darcy grinned. “Come, then. Let us go.”