From Admiration to Matrimony

by APRIL FLOYD

  The maid bobbed a curtsey and hurried from the room. There was much activity in the hallway and she was pulled aside to help change the bedding in the viscount’s old room. “Why such a fuss for the physician? He could have taken another room.”

  “I have no idea. Tis a request of the viscount and Miss Anne has said we must see to his needs while he is a guest,” the other maid said and set about arranging the fresh bedding, “the sooner done, the sooner we might rest.”

  In the garden, Miss Bingley grew bored with the physician’s attempt at conversation and begged his forgiveness as she stepped away towards Henry and Anne.

  “Miss Anne,” she called, “perhaps you might answer the physician’s questions better than I.”

  Henry bristled as the woman took his free arm and pulled him along. Anne de Bourgh stared after them and waited for her mother’s doctor to take her arm and continue along the path. “Pray, sir, what questions have you that I might answer?”

  Mr. Sampson appeared confused at the young woman’s question and gave a curious glance to Miss Bingley. “Why, I hadn’t meant to, that is, it seems I may have offended your lady friend.”

  Anne kept a smile in place as she patted the doctor’s arm. “I shouldn’t think so Mr. Sampson. Tis very difficult to offend the woman.”

  They continued their walk until rain threatened and Anne was pleased to have Henry leave Miss Bingley on the path and come to claim her hand. “I suppose her hopes are dashed once and for and all. I am sorry you were made to walk with her. Mr. Sampson had no need to speak with me particularly, twas only her scheme to spend time in your company.”

  Henry glanced back at the bothersome woman and pitied the doctor. “The poor man, he came in good faith and we’ve left him with a conniving she devil.”

  Anne laughed and leaned her head on Henry’s shoulder. “Yes, well, I expect he may not feel as we do. She is a handsome woman but a man such as Mr. Sampson has not enough wealth for our grasping Miss Bingley.”

  Once inside, the gentlemen chose to sit in the library for a time and a maid came in search of Miss Bingley saying her ladyship wished to speak with the woman. Anne watched Miss Bingley hurry up the stairs behind the maid.

  Left on her own, the young mistress of Rosings went to her rooms and readied herself for bed. Come the morning, she would be free of Rosings and her mother and seek her future with Henry.

  Caroline Bingley hastened to Lady Catherine’s rooms reciting over in her head the details of her final plan to snare Henry Amestrey. There could be little else the mistress of Rosings wished to discuss.

  She followed the maid and steeled herself for the anger of her hostess. Lady Catherine sat before the fireplace and motioned for Caroline to join her there. “Miss Bingley, surely you are aware my daughter plans to leave Rosings in the morning. I take it you have not, as yet, been successful?”

  Caroline began to speak but the woman raised a hand. “There is the night left to us. You will go to the viscount’s rooms and accomplish your task before morning. My daughter shall not go against me and leave this house with the upper hand. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Yes, your ladyship, quite clear. I shall be in his room but how shall Miss Anne discover us?” Caroline asked.

  “I shall walk with her down the hallway and stop outside his door. Listen for my voice and come creeping out. Be certain there is no mistaking your guilt at being caught.” With a nod of her head, Lady Catherine dismissed her guest.

  Caroline Bingley felt a chill up crawl up her spine as she stepped into the dark hallway and felt her way along the wall to the room she knew to be that of Henry Amestrey. She hesitated as her hand rested on his door. If her plan worked as Lady Catherine hoped, she would herself become a lady.

  Grinning foolishly as images of being the mistress of a grand country estate flitted through her mind, she eased open the door and slowly made her way inside. She hadn’t dared risk a candle for fear of being caught but she could make out the large bed to her right and the figure that slept soundly on one side, facing away from her.

  There was but an hour before the household would again prepare for another day and she slid quietly into the bed thrilling at the warmth radiating from the man beside her.

  She longed to move closer but dared not, consoling herself with the idea of waking up next to the dashing, handsome viscount in the years to come. He would be angry with her at first, but what man might refuse a woman who shared his bed and his home forever?

  A dull ache pierced her heart that the man was not Mr. Darcy, would never be for she had lost him to a woman not half as accomplished. This time, she would be the victor and Miss Anne de Bourgh would be dealt the humiliation.

  In her room just a few doors away, Lady Catherine rang for her maid and sent the woman to summon her daughter. She made her hands shake and her voice tremble. “Tell her she must come, for I have had a terrible dream.”

  The maid hurried quietly down the hall and entered the rooms of Miss Anne. She gently pulled back the drapes slightly and shook the young mistress from sleep. “Your mother has need of you, mistress. Please come.”

  Anne rubbed her eyes, trying to awaken herself completely as she took her dressing gown from the maid. “Is she well?”

  The maid shook her head. “I do not know, miss. She is upset by a dream, her face pale and drawn.”

  Anne dismissed the maid and went to her mother. She would not stay at Rosings out of pity. This bad dream was likely nothing more than her mother’s last effort to prey upon her role as daughter.

  “Mother,” she said as she entered the room, “shall I send for Mr. Sampson? He stayed the night and would exam you once more before he leaves.”

  Lady Catherine sobbed into her hands and Anne’s resolve weakened. She went to sit beside her mother and ran a hand in gentle circles upon her back. “Tis nothing but a dream, mother. I am here.”

  Lady Catherine leaned into her daughter and took her hand. “Will you walk with me in the hall? I must escape this room. I cannot bear to be alone here another minute.”

  Anne stood and helped her mother to her feet. “Only for a while, mother, and then we shall have Mr. Sampson come see to you.”

  Lady Catherine nodded and held her arms out as Anne helped her into her own dressing gown. How many times had she wished to walk and talk with her mother in the many lonely years of growing up at Rosings?

  She watched her mother’s face as they gained the hallway and began a slow trek to the windows at the far end away from the staircase. The maids had lit the candles here and there and the flickering lights bathed the passage in a comforting glow.

  Lady Catherine sighed deeply and turned to Anne. “Thank you my dear. I cannot bear to be shut up in that room for another moment. Must you leave today and not another? Surely your Henry might be persuaded on my account?”

  Anne wondered at the desperation in her mother’s voice. The woman was grasping now, hoping to find a thread of weakness in her daughter. The truth of it made her recall Lady Anne’s tale of betrayal. “Mother, Henry would not, nor would I. You have no need of me now just as you had no need of your dear sister when she stood in the way of your desires. I ought to have been her daughter.”

  Lady Catherine pulled away from Anne and placed a hand across her heart as though grievously wounded. “You know nothing of a life lived in the shadow of a sister so dearly loved as to shadow all that you do,” her voice rose as she leaned against the wall, “nothing of having to fight for the attention of your own father and mother!”

  Anne’s anger flared and she took her mother by the arm. “I know everything about being invisible to my own mother until I became nothing more than a pawn you moved as you saw fit. Even my name is a scheme to add insult to injury.”

  The door beside them opened and Caroline Bingley backed out of Henry Amestrey’s room. Lady Catherine feigned anger though her daughter’s words made it appear genuine.

  Chapter 33

  “Miss Bingley!” a
deep voice boomed from behind Anne de Bourgh. A moment later, Henry Amestrey moved to stand beside his beloved and shield her from Lady Catherine.

  A confused Mr. Sampson appeared beside Caroline Bingley wondering at the shouting in the hallway. He looked about, shocked to find Miss Bingley in her chemise. “What has happened?”

  Caroline’s mouth fell open and she swooned as the shock of her situation fell heavy upon her. Mr. Sampson caught her but she quickly recovered, pushing his hands away.

  “Why are you in the viscount’s room?” she demanded of the physician. Lady Catherine backed slowly away hoping she might disappear before anyone thought to blame her.

  Henry spoke up to keep a hearty laugh from ruining his chance to bedevil the she devil. “Miss Bingley, what have you done? A lady sneaking away from a man’s rooms at the break of dawn is most scandalous.”

  Caroline Bingley stomped her foot in frustration. “But you were, he was, she…” Her speech faltered as she noticed Lady Catherine inching further away. “It was her doing! She called me here for some wicked scheme!”

  Lady Catherine began to argue with Miss Bingley and Mr. Sampson made a hasty retreat, closing the door to his room.

  Henry led Anne away from the arguing women knowing there was nothing more they need do. “I think it best we leave, my dear. Whatever Mr. Sampson decides shall be his business. Judging by the look on his face as he backed away I doubt Miss Bingley shall become Mrs. Sampson.”

  Anne de Bourgh gave a final glance down the hallway and turned to disperse the maids that had gathered. “Please see that our trunks are loaded as soon as possible. And have Cook prepare us a basket to take along. We shall leave within the hour.”

  Several days later, the Amestrey conveyance arrived in London and drove straight to Darcy House. Anne was eager to join her family and enjoy the spring season in Town. By summer they would all return to Pemberley for her wedding.

  Henry took her hand before they exited the carriage. “Must we wait until summer for a wedding my dear?”

  Anne blushed and leaned closer. “We must, Henry, but the time shall pass quickly.”

  Henry’s countenance was one of sadness that disappeared at his beloved’s next words. “Do you think your parents might have us for a visit before the wedding? I would love to introduce them to Lady Anne and Elizabeth.”

  They exited the carriage and took the steps to the front door of Darcy House with ease. “I shall write mother this evening. I am certain she will demand we come again and bring the Darcy family.”

  Elizabeth had seen the carriage arrive and she hurried to open the door. Anne rushed into her arms, the enduring emotion of joy consuming her. It had been so since they pulled away from Rosings and set off for London. There were no dark clouds nor regrets left to mar her perfect happiness.

  “Oh Anne! I was so worried when we arrived and there were no letters from you.”

  The two hugged again and Anne startled in surprise as she felt Elizabeth and William’s unborn babe give a hearty kick. She pulled away and stared in wonder at her friend’s middle. “Did he…did she…I mean…”

  Henry pulled Anne close and laughed. Elizabeth’s cheeks grew rosy from being the center of attention. She took Anne’s hand and placed it gently against her middle as little Darcy squirmed about. “Yes, he or she is as delighted as I am you’ve come home.”

  Anne’s smile was beautiful, her face radiant, and Elizabeth stepped aside as Lady Anne touched her lightly on the shoulder.

  “My Anne! I knew you’d come back to us! And Henry, dear Henry, the Darcy family owes you such a debt of gratitude. I am pleased to again give my blessing on your union.”

  The happy couple finally entered Darcy House only to be welcomed by Mr. Darcy. He embraced Anne and fought to regulate his emotions, but Henry saw the relief that washed over his face. His future wife, in spite of her victory at Rosings, would need the love of support of this family to aid in the final bout of healing from her mother’s treachery and betrayal.

  He and Mr. Darcy saw the ladies to the parlor and then made their way to the library so that he might share the story of their strange days at Rosings.

  “Elizabeth mentioned the presence of Caroline Bingley at Rosings. I cannot imagine she was there for any other reason than to come between the two of you,” Mr. Darcy said as he sat before the fire.

  Henry joined him and laughed heartily. “Indeed, it was all a ruse, just as you imagined the moment you read her missive the night of the ball. Lady Catherine was never ill. Mrs. Collins made certain to warn us away from Miss Bingley. The poor woman, I believe Mr. Collins continues his abominable behavior.”

  Mr. Darcy scowled at this news and thought what might be done. “I ought to have known he would. He has no other men about to answer to, more’s the pity. I shall write the man and demand that Mrs. Collins come to London to visit my wife. Perhaps if I made my gratitude known he would comply? A few pounds would not go amiss and my Elizabeth would be most pleased. Yes, that is what I shall do.”

  Henry then relayed the story of Miss Bingley and the physician, Mr. Sampson. By the end of it, Mr. Darcy had laughed and slapped his knee in great mirth. “A more conniving woman I have never met. I do hope the poor man was able to leave Rosings without Miss Bingley.”

  Henry shook his head. “Indeed, I can’t imagine there was any one about to demand satisfaction from the man. Miss Bingley’s surprise at my arrival in the hallway was such that she had not imagined trapping any other man in the house save myself. Mr. Sampson likely returned to London alone.”

  In the parlor, Anne relayed the same story to Elizabeth and Lady Anne. Though the women were greatly amused by the antics of Miss Bingley, Lady Anne was unable to forgive her sister this final slight. “It pains me that your mother would have a hand in such treachery once more. I thought perhaps she might have grown tired of causing destruction to those she ought to love.”

  Anne took her aunt’s hand and squeezed it gently. “Mother has a deficit of character that we may never understand. But, we do have one another and what she could or would not give us we shall give one another and be thankful.”

  Lady Anne swallowed hard and looked into her niece’s eyes. “Yes, what we have lost is great. A daughter and a mother are irreplaceable. Let us take comfort that one of them would wish us inordinate happiness.”

  Elizabeth dabbed at her tears with her handkerchief before smiling at the two women. If you were fortunate life had a way of providing just the thing your heart most desired even when you thought you might never be comforted again.

  Lady Anne had lost a beloved daughter only to be given two more in return. Elizabeth Darcy had fought against a future most horrible to be given one most wonderful. Anne de Bourgh had been deprived of the life she ought to have had as the daughter of an esteemed family only to have it returned abundantly in the person of Henry Amestrey and his family.

  Chapter 34

  The late evening’s sun found Lady Anne Amestrey, wife of Viscount Amestrey of Ayr, alone with her new husband in the garden where their wedding had been held earlier in the day at Pemberley. The bright yellow flowers that bloomed riotously around them seemed to her a gift from her beloved cousin.

  Anne breathed deeply and her mind imagined she could detect the delicate scent Georgiana Darcy wore and that still lingered in her rooms. Anne had sat there alone the evening before, speaking with the departed young woman as though she could hear and reply.

  “Henry is the most wonderful man, Georgie. And his parents, they were so pleased to have the Darcy family visit before the wedding. If you were still with us, I think Henry’s brother James would have been your perfect match. In my heart, you shall be with me tomorrow as I become a married woman.”

  Here Anne had paused, wiping at the tears she could not hold back. Memories of her cousin flooded her mind as she walked about the room. If only.

  Lady Anne entered the room, unaware that Anne was there before her. When she turned, the young wo
man hurried across the room and sheltered in her aunt’s arms as she had many times as a child when visiting Pemberley.

  Anne had always been a shy and terribly quiet child whose heart was eager for the affection shared between the Darcy women.

  “There now, dear. Do not be sad. Georgie would never have wanted us to mourn on such a happy occasion. She would be twirling about the room in dress after dress, hoping to choose just the right one for a wedding. She loved you as a sister, she always said you were sisters and not cousins, you know.”

  Anne dried her eyes and offered her aunt a tremulous smile. “Shall I leave you, aunt?”

  Lady Anne led her to the sofa of the sitting room Georgiana loved more than any other room at Pemberley. “No, I would rather sit with you and reminisce here where I feel closest to my daughter.”

  Henry embraced Anne and brought her back to the present. Her quiet contemplation had worried him. “Come, my dearest Anne, let us join your family in the ballroom. I would not have you sad on our wedding day.”

  “I am happy, Henry, truly. I was only recalling Georgiana’s memory. She would have loved this day.”

  The couple walked slowly through the garden to rejoin the merry revelers in the grand ballroom of Pemberley. Henry had purchased an estate not many miles away where he would take Anne after their wedding trip. He meant to take her there in the morning first before they left on a trip that would last for several months.

  After he had made the purchase, he set the gardeners to work on a section of the garden his wife might one day fill with flowers for her own daughters. But now they would find their place on the ballroom floor and receive the happy wishes from their guests.

  Elizabeth Darcy smiled when they entered the ballroom and whispered to her husband. “When shall we give them our gift?”

  Mr. Darcy drew his wife into his arms reveling in the feel of their babe between them. “We shall take them to the library after this dance, mother is waiting for us there.”