His Choice of a Wife

by Heather Moll

  Your loving sister,

  Lydia

  As it happened that Elizabeth had much rather not, she endeavored in her answer to put an end to every entreaty and expectation of the kind. Lydia was fortunate that Dr. and Mrs. Lockwood, in return for Lydia giving them a child they would not likely be able to have on their own, would provide her with a home and respectability. In spite of Lydia’s youth and manners, Elizabeth dearly hoped that she would retain what remained of her claims to reputation that Fitzwilliam and the Lockwoods had given her.

  It was a bright but cold afternoon in Derbyshire, and Elizabeth could see out the window that a few flakes of snow were finding their way down. Georgiana sat sketching, and Fitzwilliam was reviewing his correspondence. She saw his mouth form itself into an expression of contempt. He swiftly rose and crossed the room and, without a second glance, tossed two sheets of paper into the flames.

  Georgiana’s eyes rested on her brother before flitting over to Elizabeth, who subtly shook her head. Elizabeth had a guess as to who sent Fitzwilliam’s letter. The room was tense with his indignation. He sat with his jaw set in anger while Georgiana trembled in nervousness. Elizabeth waited for brother and sister to relax, and when they did not, she had to laugh, which brought the attention of both of them directly to her.

  “Oh, Fitzwilliam, do share with us what Lady Catherine had to say!”

  “I thought her reply to my letter announcing our marriage was the height of her abusive language towards you, but I was mistaken. Seemingly, the pollution of Pemberley’s hallowed halls is complete, not merely from the presence of you as its mistress but the visits of your uncle and aunt from the city as well. I do not know why I allowed you to persuade me to seek reconciliation. If she continues to insult you, I do not know what I shall do.”

  “You could call her out, dearest!”

  Georgiana, who had come to understand the principal details of her brother’s time in Bath, gasped in horror. Fitzwilliam simply shook his head and smiled at Elizabeth. He crossed the room to sit by her on the sofa. “I see no reason to reconcile with that woman.” He took her hand in his own. “I would prefer to spend another Christmas with the Gardiners and enjoy our own small family party.”

  “Family connections are worth preserving,” she said with a look that Fitzwilliam ignored. Elizabeth hoped Lady Catherine’s affection for her sister’s son might win out over time, but for the present, she was content to let the matter drop. “Perhaps next Christmas, we might have Mr. Collins and his family join us. Then Lady Catherine and Miss de Bourgh can travel north with them. I suppose Lady Catherine and Mr. Collins have their own familial association now!” She laughed at the pleasure Mr. Collins must take in being able to boast that his cousin was niece by marriage to the illustrious Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

  Georgiana listened with astonishment bordering on alarm at the sportive manner Elizabeth had of talking to her brother. Though they were suited in character and their domestic felicity was in perfect concord, their manner of talking went against everything Georgiana knew about proper discourse. Georgiana shook her head and went to the music room.

  “My sister does not often know what to make of you, Elizabeth.”

  “She loves me as much as I love her, and for the present, that is more than enough,” she replied as she settled into his arms. The soft warmth of being held against Darcy’s chest made her heart swell with happiness.

  “I am glad she stepped away, for I have another letter I must share with you, and I am not yet master enough of my own emotions to divulge its contents to Georgiana.” Darcy rose to retrieve a single sheet of paper and handed it to his wife with a sigh. “I know he suspected this, but my cousin’s pithy letter-writing style is poor preparation for such unwelcome news.”

  Darcy,

  The 1st Marquess of Wellington was appointed Colonel of the Regiment 1 January. This is the first step in the elevation of the Blues to the status of Household Cavalry, and my regiment will be leaving for the Peninsula. Please express my regrets to your wife and sister for not being able to see them in town next month.

  Fitzwilliam

  ***

  Ellendean Grange, near Dublin

  18 March 1813

  Dear Sir,

  It is with great joy that I inform you that your wife’s sister was delivered of a boy yesterday. Mrs. Lockwood will send her letter of ceremony to your wife next month as it is our intention for the world at large to believe that young Edgar is my wife’s child, but I would be remiss not to inform you directly of the good health of Miss Bennet and the baby. Miss Bennet, her youthful exuberance notwithstanding, is a good-humored girl to whom my reticent wife has taken a liking. She has provided us a blessing that Mrs. Lockwood’s health would not have allowed, and Miss Bennet is welcome to make her home with us for as long as she chooses.

  I remain, dear Sir, your humble servant,

  Edgar Lockwood

  ***

  Vitoria, near Zadorra Valley, northern Spain

  23 June 1813

  Dear Darcy,

  I am unsure when these lines might reach you, but news of the battle will soon be known, and I would be negligent if I did not tell you that I survived the day. The Blues were brigaded with the other two regiments of Household Cavalry, and we fought with them in a decisive victory on Monday. I am wounded, but it is a scratch although it has earned me furlough. The French aim just as poorly as you do.

  Yours,

  Fitzwilliam

  ***

  Gracechurch Street

  Friday, July 21

  My dearest Lizzy,

  I am sending you a few lines to announce our safe arrival in London. My father spoke of writing to tell you that he would escort me to Pemberley, but upon arriving in town, I have come to learn that he had not yet written. We all know my father to be a negligent and dilatory correspondent, but I am surprised that he would slacken when he knows how distressing his sudden appearance might be. I would not wish for his accompanying me to be wholly unexpected to you and Darcy. You must not worry because he intends to stay only a day at Pemberley before returning home. I believe that accompanying me north is the extent of the effort my father is willing to put forth.

  To think it has been four months since I last saw you in town! At the time, I was eager to return to Longbourn, but I must admit that home is not as I remember it. I believe Kitty feels the same, and she told Mrs. Annesley that she wishes to return to town sooner than planned. I agree with Darcy that she has shown improvement under Mrs. Annesley’s proper attention and management. Most of our neighbors have resumed calling. Given Lydia’s absence, your prosperous marriage, and their short memories, the scandals of last year have been overlooked. Mary has even begun to mix a little more with the world in our absence. My mother has learned not to speak about Lydia before company, but instead she boasts of you with delighted pride. Her favorite subject is your charming, handsome, and tall husband, and the pin money, jewels, and carriages you likely have. I feel that I have little to contribute to what is going forward at Longbourn and can draw little comfort from the society in Meryton. I am thankful for the diversion of a summer at Pemberley with my dear sister and brother.

  I am glad that you have such pleasant accounts of Miss Darcy, and I happily anticipate furthering our acquaintance. As for Colonel Fitzwilliam, I do recall meeting him when he came to Hertfordshire with Darcy last summer, and I am pleased that he will be returning from the Peninsula. I do so look forward to spending the summer with you although I shall tell you again not to throw me a ball. I miss you, and Longbourn is not the same without you.

  Your loving sister,

  Jane

  Chapter 30

  Elizabeth stormed into her room at Pemberley, the flowing skirt of her riding habit over her arm, and tossed her whip onto the floor. Her riding gloves were roughly peeled off and joined it.
Her jaunty cap was wrenched from her hair, and in her haste, some of her curls were pulled from their pins. Inside—on a lovely July day—was the last place Elizabeth wanted to be. Had anyone been in the room to see her, they would have noted the flash of anger in her eyes and the set of her jaw as she muttered angry phrases like “insufferable man!” and “only thinks of himself.”

  She heard the swift, dull thud of his boot heels in the carpeted hall, and she had already spun around to glare at her husband by the time he threw open her door without knocking. Fitzwilliam slammed the door and strode into the room, his eyes cold and his gaze unwavering. There was a fierce and outraged energy between them as they stared at one another in livid silence.

  “Need I remind you, madam, who is the master of this estate?” Fitzwilliam uttered in a low voice. “What on earth possessed you to speak to me in such a manner? And in full hearing of the servants!” He was attempting to use the full strength of his personality and position to assert his will, but Elizabeth would never be intimidated by him.

  “You presume to criticize me? You are too accustomed to arranging things to your own liking with no consideration for your wife!”

  “What are you speaking of?” His seething annoyance was obvious through gritted teeth.

  “You ordered them not to let me ride! Not one groom would saddle my horse. When I offered to do it myself, they suggested I speak to you because they were not permitted to let me near the stables. Do you have no respect for me at all? I am not a child to be managed and scolded.” She paced in frustration in a manner not unlike her husband’s, but this amusing similarity was lost on both of them.

  “Perhaps I might have informed you of my decision before,” he replied with haughty detachment, “but I do not regret it. If you wish to be out of doors, the entire park and the gardens are at your disposal.”

  “I would walk—I prefer walking—but what pleasure will that bring me when you have instructed a footman to follow me whenever I step out of doors! When you pronounce edicts such as these, you do not think of my feelings at all!” His temper was as little yielding as hers, so she was surprised when his eyes softened as she planted her hands on her hips hard enough to pull her skirt taut across her stomach.

  “I am thinking of you,” he replied in a quieter tone, as he bravely took a small step towards his irritated wife. “I am thinking of both of you.”

  Elizabeth exhaled forcefully and then looked down, as Fitzwilliam grazed his fingertips across her stomach before taking her hands in his. Most of her anger fell away when she saw the look of tenderness and reverence across his features. “I will not remain confined for the next five months, regardless of what Lady Catherine says.”

  “You could follow Lady Catherine’s advice and take up rolled-paper work. She wrote that, if you paneled a tea caddy with filigree paper, she would display it in Mrs. Jenkinson’s room.”

  “I am incapable of administering to the vanity of others, and I will not flatter your aunt for her condescension. I would prefer to be out of doors than rolling decorative paper.”

  “I will not have you ride a horse.”

  “You like to have your own way too well, and I think you seek to have me at your disposal.”

  “I shall not say you are mistaken because you could not possibly believe me to have any desire to control you.” Elizabeth knew this to be true and felt it in vain to keep hold of her anger but did not speak. “Nor do I believe that you truly feel that horse riding is the safest activity now.”

  Elizabeth silently agreed but was not yet ready to concede the point. Her husband, perhaps accustomed to her stubbornness, made the first concession. “If Georgiana, or Jane when she arrives, joins you on your morning walks, I shall tell the footmen they need not chaperone you.”

  “I only fainted once, and you are ungenerous to keep reminding me of it. Besides, Jane and Georgiana walk too slowly, Fitzwilliam.” Elizabeth pouted, and he laughed. “I am not so tired any longer and would certainly outstrip them.”

  “If you will have me, I shall join you every morning, and we can walk as swiftly as you can manage. I ought to have spoken with you about not riding. I am too accustomed to having my own way, but you know I only thought of your well-being. Will you forgive a proud but well-intentioned man?”

  “Only if you will forgive the ungovernable temper of the termagant that has taken the place of your wife.”

  “You are a joy to me, Elizabeth. Come, we can take a turn in the garden before Fitzwilliam arrives.”

  ***

  Three weeks after Jane’s arrival, Elizabeth sat in her sitting room, her sister sprawled out on the chaise, both ladies laughing. Since Jane had arrived at Pemberley, Elizabeth passed many hours with her and often with Georgiana as well. She could tell by the look on Fitzwilliam’s face, when he came in at the end of the evening to find them still talking, that he missed her. He said good evening to Jane and offered his wife a lingering gaze that suggested he would be delighted to see Elizabeth join him sooner rather than later.

  “Our practice this afternoon was not the first time you waltzed? I do not believe it! You danced a waltz with Darcy last spring? You could not even claim a friendship with him at the time!”

  “Georgiana is not here, so let us blame her, for it was she who offered to teach me. How could I not agree to dance with her brother? It would have been rude to refuse.”

  “It is a pretty dance when done properly. I fear that I made a poor impression on Colonel Fitzwilliam with all my missteps.” Jane colored. “I could hardly reply to his conversation without blushing for being held so closely. I do not think I shall dance at your ball.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I think, at my age, I should give up dancing. I shall sit to the side and watch the younger girls.”

  “You must dance; it is for your sake, Jane! We are welcoming you to the neighborhood.” Elizabeth hopped from her chair to sit on the chaise next to her sister.

  “You need not throw me a ball. I would not wish Darcy to undertake any undue expense on my behalf.”

  “Eight neighboring families to dine with dancing afterwards—it is not the social event of the Season.”

  “Very well, but only because you and your husband have already gone to the trouble. I am thankful for the diversion of a summer spent at Pemberley and to see you and Darcy so happy together.”

  “Oh yes, our attachment has not grown less fervent with time and familiarity,” Elizabeth offered flippantly. She could not express such private feelings to anyone other than Fitzwilliam, not even to Jane. “I daresay he would admit that he is happy in his choice of a wife.”

  “Do be serious, Lizzy. If you are not in the room, Darcy raises his eyes every time the door opens. It would take a fool not to realize that he is hoping that it is you who will walk in.”

  “Since you give me leave to say so, I am richly blessed. I have no weariness of his society, and he has none of mine.”

  “Darcy gives every appearance of being thrilled with your joyous news. I daresay he will think it the finest child in the world—son and heir or not.”

  Elizabeth merely nodded in agreement. Knowing that her husband would be mortified if she spoke about the animated conversations he had with his unborn child, she changed the subject to her sister’s opinion of the gentleman who recently arrived at Pemberley. “You have spent a lot of time in conversation with Colonel Fitzwilliam. What do you think of him?”

  “Colonel Fitzwilliam’s manners are to be admired.”

  “What a dull description of a man who seeks out every opportunity to join you on a walk around the garden, who keeps a chair by himself for you wherever we are, and is all animation when you join him and speak with him.”

  Jane’s cheeks turned pink. “I must be—that is, I shall not be disappointed again. In the past, I have been blind t
o the true character of people who ultimately do not deserve my concern. Darcy’s cousin is pleasant company that I might enjoy while I am at Pemberley.”

  “I am pleased that you are more willing to be critical of people, but how do you honestly feel about the colonel? You must have no reserves from me.”

  “He is not handsome, but he has a pleasing countenance and an intelligent and lively eye. He gives every appearance of preferring my company, and I do believe he is genuinely interested in what I have to say. I enjoy dancing and speaking with him very much. I shall even go so far as to say I shall regret his leaving next month.”

  “Perhaps you should make him aware of your attachment.”

  “No, Lizzy! How awful it would be if a persuasion of my partiality for him had been the only cause of his giving me a serious thought.”

  Elizabeth suspected her husband’s cousin already harbored a tender regard for Jane. It had been a rather long time since she had seen Jane so animated about anything or anyone.

  ***

  Darcy looked out the window and watched Jane and Georgiana ambling across the lawn. Aside from the Gardiners, whom he really did love, all the people for whom he felt a strong regard were with him in the place that meant the most to him. His wife was radiant with happiness, his sister and Jane were cheerful and loving, and his cousin’s safe return from the Peninsula was a blessing. Their party would soon grow larger with the arrival of more guests, and Darcy knew he would miss the intimacy of their small family gathering.

  Fitzwilliam joined him at the window. “Miss Bennet is not as despondent as you made her out to be.”