Page 30 of Unwillingly Mrs. Darcy
Darcy
D arcy felt a pang of vexation as Mrs Reynolds departed. He had been so close—closer than ever before—to hearing Elizabeth say in unequivocal terms what he had long suspected but dared not assume. He had waited for this moment with the kind of patience that had tested the limits of his self-control. Now, it had slipped away, at least for the time being, and he could not help the surge of frustration that gripped him.
Still, there was no time to dwell on it, as the hurried footsteps of their returning family echoed through the halls. The parlour door burst open, and Mary stormed past them with neither a greeting nor a glance. Her posture was stiff, her face set in a pinched expression, and she marched towards the stairs with a purposeful air. Darcy exchanged a bemused look with Elizabeth, who merely sighed.
“Mary has always been determined to make an impression, though perhaps not always the most favourable one,” Elizabeth murmured.
In contrast, Kitty and Georgiana were all smiles as they appeared, their arms looped through one another’s. Seeing Elizabeth, Kitty exclaimed, “Oh, Lizzy, how delightful it is to be back! Pemberley feels like home already, does it not?”
Georgiana nodded fervently, her cheeks flushed with happiness. “We missed it terribly,” she said. “The journey to Matlock was pleasant enough, but I daresay the air is sweeter here.”
Elizabeth smiled warmly at them both. “It is good to have you all back,” she said, noting with affection how Georgiana’s disposition had grown livelier since their first meeting.
Darcy stepped forward to greet the girls, offering them a rare smile of genuine fondness. “You’re both settled, I trust?”
“We are,” Georgiana replied. “Though we have much to tell you about our visit to Matlock. And—oh! Colonel Fitzwilliam is just behind us. He arrived only a day ago with Cousin Anne. They are engaged! Did you know? Oh, there was rather a fuss at Matlock, that is why we were sent back and—”
“Do not exhaust yourself, Georgie, I shall tell it,” Richard said as he entered, his bearing as jaunty and self-assured as ever. His red military coat seemed a shade brighter against the muted tones of Pemberley’s entrance hall, and his easy grin lit up the room.
“Darcy!” he exclaimed, his voice resonating with warmth. “Good to see you again.”
Darcy inclined his head. “And you, Richard. Welcome back to Pemberley.”
His cousin’s gaze shifted, fixing on Elizabeth with interest. Stepping forward, he took her hand and offered a slight bow. “And this,” he said with a touch of mischief in his tone, “must be your new wife. Mrs Darcy?”
Elizabeth curtsied lightly, a polite smile on her lips. “Indeed, Colonel Fitzwilliam. It is a pleasure to meet you again.”
He straightened, his expression one of open admiration. “The pleasure is entirely mine, Mrs Darcy.”
Darcy, who had been watching this exchange with reserved amusement, added, “Rightly so.” His gaze went to Elizabeth, and he saw her cheeks flush faintly at the compliment.
Richard, ever attuned to such subtleties, smirked faintly but refrained from comment. “It’s good to see Pemberley so lively,” he said. “It suits you, Darcy.”
Elizabeth caught Darcy’s eye, and they shared a fleeting but meaningful look before the sounds of bustling servants and the prospect of further conversation drew them back to the present.
***
At dinner that evening, Darcy looked around the table. It was good to be reunited with his sister and cousin, as well as Elizabeth’s sisters. However, Mary had not come down to dine, having instead requested that a tray be brought to her room.
“I do regret that Miss Mary did not enjoy her stay at Matlock more,” Richard said, drawing Darcy’s attention just as they sat down. He blinked, surprised Richard would choose to first speak of Miss Bennet rather than the more dominant news of the day—his engagement to Anne. He’d known it was coming, of course, but he hadn’t expected to happen in so rapid a fashion.
“That is a shame,” Darcy replied. “The trip was primarily arranged to help her overcome her sadness. She has been rather despondent for some time.”
“That certainly continued at Matlock,” Richard added. “Although I think the upheaval was perhaps not conducive to any sort of relaxation.”
“I assure you, cousin, we hardly noticed it,” Georgiana said. “Kitty and I had a magnificent time, even though it was brief.”
“Why did you all return early? Is it to do with your happy news?” Elizabeth asked. She was seated to Darcy’s left, and when he turned to her, their eyes met briefly. A smile touched her lips, which he mirrored at once.
“Well, dear cousin—May I call you cousin now?” Richard asked. Elizabeth nodded. “The truth is, I was sent here to collect Darcy.”
Darcy straightened in his seat. “Collect me? Whatever for?”
“For a family meeting at Matlock. Aunt Catherine has been summoned. My father intended to send an invitation, but I suggested it would be best to call upon you in person.”
Darcy noticed Elizabeth stiffen slightly beside him and he wondered if, perhaps, the thought of his leaving troubled her as much as the idea of being separated from her troubled him.
“I should start at the beginning. By now, you all know that Anne and I are engaged. You see, we had intended to wed for some time but had not found the right time to tell our parents. Then Aunt Catherine’s hasty actions caused even more upheaval. Anne had to confess the truth to Darcy here. Which, of course, is one reason Darcy chose not to marry her out from under me.”
“Fortunately for us,” Georgiana interrupted with a grin.
Elizabeth smiled which made Darcy’s heart beat a little faster.
“Anyhow, Aunt Catherine spent some time interrogating Anne regarding her lack of dismay at Darcy’s marriage and in the end, Anne saw herself compelled to tell her the truth. You know this of course, as Lady Catherine graced Pemberley with a visit before moving on to my father. My father swiftly summoned me for an audience. Which I granted. But not before collecting Anne from Rosings. Aunt Catherine had not yet returned from her travels.”
“She did not return since she was here? That was weeks ago,” Georgiana said with surprise.
“She stayed at her London house for a time. Anne wrote to me around the same time as my father and so we decided to travel north together to speak to my father. Anne is at Matlock now. In any case, my father supports the match, and my mother, of course, has always adored Anne. However, neither of them was pleased by how matters unfolded. They both feel dreadful for you being involved in all of this, and I believe my uncle regrets giving you such poor advice.”
“What poor advice was that?” Elizabeth said, and Darcy heard the edge in her tone.
“My uncle is the one who pointed out that, unless I had another bride, I should simply marry my cousin,” Darcy said, glancing at Elizabeth.
“Oh, but I do not think it bad advice at all,” Georgiana exclaimed. “It brought you together after all.”
He was grateful for his sister’s enthusiasm, as, apparently, was Elizabeth, who smiled at her younger sister.
“I daresay it was well intentioned advice,” Elizabeth said, her voice softening. “But I can see how, from his perspective, he might feel he pushed you into something you did not want.”
“Indeed,” Richard confirmed. “He does. That is why he has requested your presence at Matlock—to formally apologise. In addition, he has summoned Aunt Catherine.”
“Goodness gracious!” Darcy exclaimed before he could stop himself, causing the entire table to chuckle. “I should not have said it like that,” he added, feeling slightly abashed.
“You are among friends, Darcy,” Richard said. “Nobody will blame you. In any case, I felt much the same. But my father believes the entire family should come together, discuss what occurred, and resolve matters.”
Darcy turned to Elizabeth. “It seems we are going to Matlock, my dear.”
Richard cleared his throat beside him, drawing Darcy’s attention. He saw the awkwardness written plainly across his cousin’s face.
“The invitation is issued to you, Fitzwilliam. Blooded family members only,” Richard said. “I beg your pardon, Elizabeth, I know it may appear frightfully medieval, but that is the way of the Fitzwilliams.”
Elizabeth gave a small shrug. “To tell the truth, I would rather not have gone to Matlock anyhow,” she said. Though her tone was casual, Darcy doubted this was entirely true. In fact, he felt rather uneasy at the thought of going to Matlock without her. What could his uncle intend? To convince him to annul the marriage?
“Elizabeth is family, blood or not,” Darcy said but spotted her shifting slightly from the corner of his eye. Then, she placed one hand on his, sending a flash through his body at the surprise.
“It is a good opportunity to mend what has been broken,” she said gently.
“Indeed,” Richard agreed. “And your assistance will be invaluable. Mother and Father are eager for the marriage between myself and Anne, but as you can imagine, Lady Catherine will oppose it. It will take the entire force of the Fitzwilliam family to stand firm against her.”
Darcy nodded, and with a heavy heart, agreed to the task.
The rest of the evening passed in a blur. Richard entertained Georgiana, Kitty, and Elizabeth with tales from his travels. Darcy could not join in the merriment. Now and again, he would add an anecdote of his own, smile when appropriate, or respond to a question, but the impending trip to Matlock weighed heavily on his mind. And there was another matter.
His eyes drifted to the empty chair by the fire where Mary usually sat. They would have to find a solution to this particular problem as well.
“Elizabeth,” Darcy said, stepping into the drawing room where Elizabeth was playing cards with Georgiana and Kitty. “Would you have a moment?”
“Of course,” she replied and stood. Her gown, a pale blue muslin creation, played about her figure in the most pleasing manner, but Darcy forced himself to look away. This was not the time to admire his wife’s form.
“Would you care to take a turn about the gardens with me?” he asked. Elizabeth nodded. They rang for their coats and pelisses, as the evenings had grown chilly, and then stepped out into the gardens together.
“I wish to speak to you about a few matters,” Darcy began. “First of all, my trip to Matlock. I think it is wrong that you are not included. As my wife, you are a member of the family.”
“I am that to you,” she said. “But I believe your uncle sees me as more of a burden. He never wanted this marriage.”
“My uncle Matlock is not a bad man,” Darcy replied. “I imagine he now thinks I was forced into this match through Aunt Catherine’s scheming, and he will want to understand the true nature of our connection.”
“And what will you say to him in this regard?” she asked.
What indeed, Darcy wondered. “I will tell him what I have told you—that I have admired you for a very long time and that I hope our marriage will be a happy, healthy, and long one. However, it is not only my decision that will make it so. And do not fret—I will not tell him anything about our arrangement.” He paused and cleared his throat. “There is one other matter we must discuss. Mary. I spoke to Richard, and he told me that, during her entire stay, she wished only to be left to her own devices. She left the estate but once, with a maid, to visit the local park. Otherwise, she kept to herself, claiming to feel unwell. According to Richard, my aunt believed it to be an ailment of an emotional nature rather than a physical one.”
“I wish I knew what has happened to her,” Elizabeth said. “She appeared so cheerful before.”
“She did,” Darcy agreed. “This melancholy came on rather suddenly.”
“I spoke to Jane about the matter, and she said I was quite mistaken to think that Mary is not homesick. According to Jane, Mary has always been good at hiding her true feelings.”
“Perhaps she does miss your parents more than she lets on. I know that you all miss them, of course, but her longing for home might be stronger than we anticipated. I think it might be best to send her back.”
“Indeed,” Elizabeth said. “We must soon discuss what will happen in the future anyway. My father is improving, which means the physician and nurses will no longer need to remain at Longbourn. In fact, my mother wrote that the physician left several weeks ago and now visits only once a week.”
“That matches what I have heard,” Darcy replied. “And we must decide what is to happen.”
Elizabeth nodded thoughtfully. “It would help to know whether it will be just Mary returning, or Kitty as well, or…” She trailed off, leaving the thought unspoken.
Darcy gave a small nod but said nothing, the weight of the decisions ahead resting heavily on them both.
“Let us discuss it in detail when you return from Matlock,” Elizabeth said as they strolled along the garden path. “I do think Kitty enjoys her time here. In any case, I believe we should send Mary back sooner rather than later. Jane and Mr Bingley have kindly offered to take her with them when they return.”
“Indeed,” Darcy replied. “I have spoken to your aunt, as well as to Bingley, and they are all in agreement. If Mary wishes, we shall send her back with them. Otherwise, I will arrange the journey for her, with a maid in attendance. Richard may be able to join them as well, as he must rejoin his regiment soon as well, though I am uncertain when exactly that will be. It will depend on what happens at the meeting.”
“Pray, what do you think will happen?” Elizabeth asked.
“I imagine that with the family united against her, my aunt will be forced to relent and consent to the marriage between Richard and Anne,” Darcy said. “But I had another thought.” He smiled, gesturing towards the bench where they had once amused themselves by naming the estate’s geese and swans. “If what Richard has told me is true, my uncle feels remorse for not supporting me during the ordeal. I thought perhaps I could use that to our advantage.”
“You mean the entail?”
“Yes, precisely. I will ask him to side with me in persuading my aunt to help undo the arrangement. As you know, it is more her decision than your cousin’s.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes with a small chuckle. “That is true. My cousin will undoubtedly do whatever his patroness commands. But do you think your aunt will be in the right frame of mind to entertain such a request? She will feel humiliated, will she not, if she does not get her way?”
“She has already not had her way,” Darcy said with a slight smile. “And my cousin is not a poor match. Richard may be a second son, but he has his own house on the estate for when he is in residence, and my uncle has ensured that he is not without means. Just because he is not the heir does not mean he will be penniless. My uncle has made certain of that. Besides, Richard and Anne have known one another since childhood, so there is no concern that he is after her fortune—as some might be, given her inheritance of Rosings Park.”
“But your aunt did not get her way with you.”
“By the grace of God, she did not,” Darcy said earnestly. Almost instinctively, his hand covered Elizabeth’s. He would not have done so had she not herself touched his hand earlier that evening. Still, was he too bold?
To his relief, Elizabeth did not remove her hand. Instead, her fingers shifted ever so slightly beneath his, as though to deepen the contact. Only then did Darcy slowly withdraw his hand.
“I shall miss you, Elizabeth,” he said, his voice quiet but steady. “I know there is much left unsaid between us, and many decisions still to be made, but I will not hesitate to tell you that I will miss you while I am away.”
“And I you,” she said, the words tumbling from her lips so quickly that Darcy suspected her heart had spoken them before her mind could intervene. Yet he was not displeased—on the contrary, her admission filled him with a quiet joy, and he could not help but smile.
“Very well,” he said after a moment, glancing towards the horizon where dark clouds had begun to gather. “I should take you back to the house now. It looks as though it may rain.”
“You are right,” she agreed, rising from the bench. He offered his arm, and she took it, her touch warm and light. Together, they made their way back to the house in companionable silence, each lost in their own thoughts.