“Yes, she is needed in the nursery.” Darcy leaned back to look at his wife who was now sitting with the sheet clutched to her chest, listening to their conversation.
“Very well, sir. If you will step out, I will send Sarah in directly.”
“Sarah?” Elizabeth cried.
“Yes, Madam.” Nelson replied from his place by the servant’s door. “Lady Catherine thought you would appreciate a familiar face.”
Tears filled her eyes and she slipped from the bed moving toward the dressing room. She peeked around the corner in time to see her maid from the parsonage step into the room with a broad smile upon her face.
“I will leave you to it,” Darcy said before kissing Elizabeth’s cheek and exiting the room.
***********
Darcy escorted Elizabeth to the drawing room once the children were settled, giving each of his cousins a warning glare as they entered, but it was Lord Matlock who greeted the couple.
“Catherine, I see you were correct. However did you manage to pry them from their rooms?” He kissed Elizabeth’s cheek. “You are glowing, my dear.” He took his nephew’s hand, clasping it between his own. “I believe this is the most comfortable I have seen you since before your father’s death, Darcy.”
Dinner was announced before anymore could be said, and Lord Matlock escorted the new Mrs. Darcy to her seat. Darcy was displeased to find himself seated at the opposite end of the long table by his aunts, while Elizabeth was entertained by her new uncle and the Archbishop of Canterbury. His cousin’s chuckle finally drew his attention.
“I say, Darcy,” Viscount Newton said with a wink toward his brother. “Must we return you to your rooms to dislodge that menacing expression?”
“Yes.” He grinned at his cousin causing the group about him to laugh heartily.
Elizabeth turned in his direction and smiled, not having heard the comment which led to the outburst.
“I have rarely seen you so content, Nephew,” Lady Matlock commented.
“Not since his father passed,” Lady Catherine responded.
“The right woman was all that was required,” the Countess said with a nod of her head.
Darcy’s cheeks warmed as he returned his attention to his plate, but his hostess’s sigh caused him to glance in that direction. He was surprised when her Ladyship wiped away a tear.
“Come now, Catherine,” Lady Matlock tsked. “You could not have truly believed Darcy and Anne would have been so happy.”
“Was happiness a consideration when you married my brother?” She did not wait for a reply. “I knew he would care for her as much as I had; that she would want for nothing and be treated kindly.”
“Anne would never have wanted that; to just be treated kindly.” His aunt shook her head. “She would have felt as though she had stolen his opportunity for more. And, yes, I did consider happiness when Henry and I married, both his and mine. I cannot say that we loved each other at that time, but I was content with him. There were others who attempted to court me which caused my jaw to clench whenever they were about.”
Darcy glanced toward his wife who was watching him closely. He smiled in her direction and was about to speak when his aunt continued.
“But Elizabeth and Darcy need not think of others now. They have what so many wish for: a love match.” Lady Matlock smiled across the table at him. “And,” she said in a slightly louder voice causing the others to quiet, “I have no intention to force them to socialize with us this evening. Once they are fed, they should be left alone until to-morrow.”
Her sons groaned softly, but her husband added his support. “Indeed, I am surprised they were willing to spend this time with us.”
Darcy glanced toward his aunt at the head of the table who said nothing before he responded. “I thank you, Aunt, Uncle. As we are nearing the time of the separation of the sexes, I hope you will not be displeased if Elizabeth and I decline to join you further.” He stood and rounded the table to assist his wife from her seat. “Your Grace, will you be leaving to-morrow at first light?”
“Yes, so I will farewell you both now.” He stood and bowed over Elizabeth’s hand before shaking Darcy’s, then raised a hand and blessed them both.
The couple left the room followed by the ladies, leaving the gentlemen to their port and cigars. A chorus of laughter was heard as the Darcys reached the stairs.
“We escaped not a moment too soon,” Darcy murmured before kissing his wife’s hand. “Shall we see to the children before retiring? I have no intention of leaving our rooms until sunrise once we enter them.”
Elizabeth laughed gaily as she allowed him to lead her up the stairs.
***********
Darcy and Elizabeth emerged from the trees and began their walk toward the manor house just as the Archbishop was descending the front steps. They took a few minutes to say goodbye once again.
“The Colonel said I might see you this morning, but I did not believe him.” The older man laughed.
“The sunrise is a special time for us,” Darcy replied looking only at his wife.
Forgotten as they stared into each other’s eyes, the Archbishop cleared his throat before climbing into his coach and waving goodbye. As the carriage pulled away, the couple climbed the steps hand in hand and made their way to the nursery. Once they had spent some time there, they turned toward Anne’s room.
When they were granted access, they found the Colonel sitting beside their cousin’s bed holding her hand, his head lowered. Fearful of what they might find, the couple stepped quietly up behind Fitzwilliam until Darcy laid his hand upon his cousin’s shoulder.
“Do not appear so sombre,” Anne’s whispery voice drifted out from under the covers. “We are simply discussing his options.” A soft giggle descended into a watery cough until she finally drew a shallow breath. “Did Mother truly summons you to dinner last night? I had not expected to see you before Christmas Eve.”
Elizabeth blushed as she bent over to kiss her friend’s cheek. “What plans have you for your cousin?”
“Why should they be my plans? He is a grown man. Can he not make his own plans?” A hint of her mother’s imperious tone entered her words but her eyes twinkled merrily.
“And are William and I not grown?” Elizabeth responded, placing her hands upon her hips.
Anne waved her hand as though redirecting a stray bit of dust blown her way. “Your determination to follow society’s dictates was inconvenient.” Her gaze drifted to her other cousin. “Darcy, were you and Fitzwilliam not supposed to take a Grand Tour after university?”
Darcy nodded. “Those plans were amended when Father became ill and war broke out on the continent.”
“I have seen my fill of Europe,” the Colonel muttered.
“Then go to Africa or the Indies, east or west, I care not which.” Anne snatched her hand from her cousin and drew it within her cocoon of coverings. Her eyes were cold when she looked at the man. “I will be dead, Richard, and your obstinate mourning will not bring me back. Unless you want me to haunt you for not doing as I wish.”
“It is not fair, Annie!” Fitzwilliam stood so quickly his chair toppled over backward and he kicked it out of his way before pacing about the room. “Must you always have your way? Even now?” He turned and left the room.
Darcy exchanged a glance with his wife before following his cousin while Elizabeth returned the chair to its proper position and sat. “The Colonel appears distressed.”
Her friend was barely visible from under the mound of covers. Only the glimmer of tears in her eyes was clearly recognisable.
“Richard once proposed to me.”
“I did not know.”
“No one did.” The counterpane moved enough to reveal Anne’s brow and nose. “I refused him and begged him not to mention it again.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes. “You did not love him?” Elizabeth finally asked.
“I loved him too much.”
“I do not un
derstand.”
Anne took a tremulous breath followed by another coughing battle, this one weaker than before. When she was again settled, her voice was even quieter than it had been. “I could not ask him to remain here with me and wait for me to die. He has always been meant for action. He could never have studied law or taken orders. Perhaps the role of gentleman farmer would have been enough if he had been in the field each day, but even then, the drudgery of it would have worn him down over time. I did not want to be the one who doused the flame within him.”
Her spindly hand suddenly reached out and grasped Elizabeth’s far tighter than was expected in her condition. “You must make him see reason, Lizzy. Please.”
“William and I will do all we can, Anne.”
Her hand fell away, lying limply on the bed. “I am tired,” she whispered and her eyes fell closed.
Elizabeth tucked her friend’s hand back under the covers before lowering the lamp beside the bed. She exchanged a few words with the maid before leaving and went to find her husband. She finally found the men in the garden, their coats and waistcoats lying upon a bench as they circled each other with fists raised.
“Although I was once curious regarding such activities,” she said with her fists firmly settled upon her hips, “it is entirely too cold for such foolishness. I demand you find another way to release … whatever it is you need to release … preferably inside or properly clothed for being outside.” Now realizing she had stepped outside without her pelisse when she saw them through the window, she abandoned her admonishing posture and rubbed her hands over her arms.
“Whatever has come over the two of you?” Lady Catherine’s piercing tones demanded from the top of the stairs. “Brother!” she cried as she turned back into the house. “They are at it again!”
Elizabeth turned her attention back to the men. “Are you coming along now, or will you wait for Lord Matlock?”
Darcy gathered his things and wrapped his coat about his wife’s shoulders before turning toward his cousin. “Perhaps a ride?”
A single shake of the head. “The frost can be treacherous. I have lost one good horse.” He grabbed his things and began the difficult journey up the stairs as his father appeared at the top. “Leave off, Father. We are coming inside.”
The Earl studied his son without saying a word. When the Colonel was near the top, he held out a hand which his son reluctantly accepted, and the men entered the house. Darcy and Elizabeth followed, though they allowed distance between themselves and the others. When it was clear that the party was not all congregating in one room, the newly married couple found their way back to their suite.
“He does understand she will have her way?” Elizabeth asked as she draped her husband’s jacket over the closest chair.
“Fitzwilliam still carries the burdens of war upon his shoulders. He sees Anne as another casualty in some ways.” Darcy shook his head and drew Elizabeth into his arms. “I have attempted to speak to him, but he tells me I will not understand, and he is probably correct.”
“I always thought he was calmer when in Genie’s presence.” She snuggled her forehead against his neck.
“There was a bond between them. Genie travelled with the soldiers, tending the injured.” Darcy began to remove the pins from her hair. “Fitzwilliam will be well, Elizabeth.”
A finger under her chin lifted her lips to his and all conversation came to an end.
*EPILOGUE*
A muffled cry drew everyone’s attention, but Will was the first to run toward his sister. Anne Collins, now eight years old, stood before a gravestone with her hands covering her mouth, her eyes wide and staring.
Darcy saw their daughter point to the marker before her as her brother placed an arm about her shoulders. His heart sunk as he saw Will read the inscription and shake his head, then glance back toward himself and Elizabeth. As they approached, he heard, “The one before Da.”
“Is everything well?” Darcy asked as he knelt beside the children.
“Annie saw the gravestone and it startled her,” Will explained, still holding his sister to him.
Darcy’s eyes fell to the marker and he nodded. It was as he suspected. “You saw your brother’s name?”
Anne nodded, tears clinging to her eyelashes.
“See the dates, darling?” Darcy pointed to the year 1815. “This man was dead before you were born. Did you think it was Will?”
The girl nodded again, a tear breaking free and rolling slowly down her cheek.
“But he is standing beside you.”
She turned and buried her nose in her brother’s neck and sniffed.
“Anne?” Elizabeth said in a near whisper as she drew her daughter into her arms. “Come, let us return to the carriage. Easter service is over, and we must return to Rosings. Aunt Catherine is waiting.”
The little girl pulled away from her mother and straightened her back. She dabbed a handkerchief to her eyes and, grabbing Will’s hand, moved toward the carriage.
Darcy stood and laid a hand upon his wife’s lower back as they stared at the stone in silence.
“Amen,” Elizabeth whispered, no doubt ending a silent prayer for the man’s soul, before entwining her fingers with her husband’s and smiling lovingly up at him. “I had not thought of them seeing this.”
“Will did not seem affected by it,” Darcy replied as he led her away from the cemetery.
“But it will most likely disturb Anne’s dreams to-night.” Elizabeth sighed.
Darcy motioned for their six-year-old daughter, Janet, to gather her little brother, Richie, and then led his wife away from the shadows of the past. He noted her shoulders relax as he laid his hand on the small of her back.
Anne was already inside the equipage when her parents arrived. She was sitting beside Lady Catherine while Will waited at the door until his mother, second sister, and younger brother had entered. He climbed in and took his place at the far window beside Richie while Darcy entered.
“I am most displeased with your cousin,” Lady Catherine muttered as the carriage moved forward.
“As you have already said,” Darcy replied with a wink toward his wife.
“Richard would have been here if he were able, your Ladyship,” Elizabeth said in a patient voice, “but he and Genie are still in Italy.”
“And before that it was Africa,” Lady Catherine muttered. She patted Anne’s hand where it lay upon her lap. “At least you still visit for Easter.”
“Of course, Aunt,” Darcy said. “I would never forego Rosings in the spring.”
She sighed and looked out the window. “Next year I will be in town.”
“I beg your pardon?” Darcy looked at her closely. Lord Matlock had made several attempts to have his sister leave Rosings for London, but she obstinately refused. “Is this because Kite is leaving?”
The butler’s health had begun to decline in the past year and his daughter insisted he come to live with her. Lady Catherine had not been pleased with the announcement.
“I dislike change,” she said with a sniff. “Rosings is nothing but shades now. It is time for a new family to fill it with life.” She turned and met his gaze. “I contacted the solicitors and they have informed Sir Lewis’s cousin. I anticipate they will take possession in June.”
“Is that sufficient time for you to remove your things?” Elizabeth asked.
“I will leave most behind. The townhouse is furnished, though I will stay with my brother until the lease is ended.” Lady Catherine patted Anne’s hand again as she turned back to the window.
Darcy felt Elizabeth’s eyes upon him and recognized her apologetic smile. He braced himself as she spoke.
“Would you not prefer to spend the summer in the country? You could travel with us to Pemberley.”
“Oh yes,” Anne whispered. “Say you will.”
Lady Catherine looked at the little girl by her side and smiled. “Would you like me to be with you, Anne?”
The quiet chi
ld nodded before laying her head against the older woman’s arm.
“Well then, I could not refuse you.”
Darcy took a deep breath and released it slowly. So much had changed since his cousin Anne had passed in early January of 1816. The most surprising was Lady Catherine’s decision to continue running Rosings as her daughter had done and not return to her previous ways. Though she had softened around the edges, she could still be demanding and insisted on having her say on every subject.
The one thing which was undisputed was her devotion to her daughter’s namesake. Young Anne Collins was able to bend his aunt’s will with little more than a glance or a softly spoken word. Darcy chuckled as he realized his uncle would have been successful years ago had he simply allowed Anne to present the suggestion. The possibility of his aunt having then taken up permanent residence at Pemberley quickly sobered him and he frowned.
“Papa,” Richie whispered in the overloud voice of a three-year-old as he shook his father’s arm. “Smile.”
The boy hated for anyone to be unhappy, but his father’s scowl disconcerted him the most, so Darcy gave him a silly grin and the children erupted in giggles. Lady Catherine clucked her tongue but turned toward the window in a useless attempt to hide her amusement. As the carriage drew to a stop before Rosing’s imposing stairs, the laughter quieted, and Darcy descended and began assisting his family from the equipage.
“Will the Bennets be visiting Pemberley this summer?” Lady Catherine asked as she leaned upon Darcy’s arm to climb the stairs.
“Papa may appear for a few days, but Mama is busy planning Mary’s wedding.”
Elizabeth exchanged an amused glance with her husband. Lady Catherine and Mrs. Bennet in the same house for any length of time was a recipe for disaster. He knew she never would have made the offer if Mrs. Bennet was expected.
Lady Catherine nodded. “Ah yes, the barrister.”
“Solicitor, but he has aspirations, should they decide to move to London,” Elizabeth replied. “A law office has offered him a lucrative position. He and my sister have discussed the possibility.”
Mrs Collins' Lover Page 49