Fitz was glad to finally be back at Pemberley. Having spent many years here, he was most comfortable within these familiar walls. Nothing had changed in all this time—his room was just as he remembered. Hoping to speak with his cousin alone, he quickly changed and went downstairs, finding Bingley with his cousin in the billiards room.
“Bingley, I did not expect to see you here yet.”
He bowed in greeting, “My business was concluded in a timely manner and I arrived at Pemberley yesterday.”
Knowing this was not the time to speak with Darcy, he accepted the offered drink and the challenge of a game while they awaited the others.
Supper was served in the family dining room, a decision which upset Georgiana even more, though Darcy was over catering to her whims. This was his estate; their guests were soon to be his family. He wanted them to feel just as welcome here as they had made him feel in their own home. He could at least be proud in watching Pemberley’s staff display their best for the soon—to—be new mistress.
As soon as the meal was completed, Fitz excused himself to walk his young cousin up to her room, and speak with her about her display earlier while they were alone. He returned to the others only a few minutes later, not giving any indication to them of the anger he felt rising on the inside of him at Georgiana’s threatening words.
The Gardiners excused themselves after just a half hour, citing fatigue from the journey and their need to check on the children in the nursery. They insisted their nieces accompany them. Mary quickly found sleep while Elizabeth was plagued with so much anxiety over finally being here at Pemberley that it was nearly dawn before her eyes finally closed in slumber.
After Bingley retired, the two cousins were left alone at last. Darcy poured a drink for Fitz and received his usual nightly cup of tea from Mrs Reynolds before dismissing her. He settled into a chair across from his cousin, wearily leaning back into the chair’s wings, “I hope your journey was easy enough?”
“Other than our delay due to the rain, it was without incident. I take it the last few weeks have not been as easy on you?”
“No, they have been very trying. Georgiana has made every day into a battle, and her refusal earlier to even greet my guests cannot be ignored.”
“I agree.”
“What can I truly do other than send her back to the school where this idea of her superiority has been allowed to grow?”
“I am at a loss. I tried speaking with her myself, but she just came at me with reason after reason for why you should not be marrying Miss Bennet. Her last statement has me worried though; she stated she will protest your marriage, even if that means missing the ceremony herself”
“Yes,” he rubbed his eyes wearily, “I have heard all her arguments over the last few weeks, including that one.” He made a face at the taste of the tea.
Fitz stood, “Come; anything is better than watching you drink that nasty swill. We will confront her together; now.”
“Now?” Darcy stood reluctantly.
“Why not? Have you anything better to do, or would you rather put it off until she disrupts the flow of activities that will lead to your wedding day?”
He drank the rest of his tea in one gulp and placed the cup back on the table, “Now will do.”
Darcy knocked, his cousin at his side while they waited for Georgiana’s door to be opened.
The maid opened it just a crack, “Yes, sir? Do you need something?”
“I wish to speak with my sister.”
The maid stepped away for a minute, then was back, “I am sorry sir, but Miss Darcy is not available to see you. If you came back in the morning...”
“Not available to see me?” his voice was stern and implacable when he barged in through her door. The maid wisely moved out of his way in time to not be injured by the door. Fitz walked in right behind him, dismissing the maid and closing the door. He stood by the door, only wanting to offer his support if Darcy needed it.
“Wha... what are you doing in my... my room?” Georgiana stammered as she tried to hide the letter she was reading—an old one from her dearest George.
“I will not be gainsaid, Georgiana! Pemberley belongs to me—every inch of its land, and every room in this manor, including this one. You will not continue to act as you are now. If you cannot accept the fact that I am marrying Miss Bennet, then it would be best for you to accept the fact that you will soon be returning to school.”
“No... please, Fitzwilliam! Please do not send me back to that school,” she begged, tears welling up in her eyes. “I cannot take their taunting. I will do anything you ask, just please let me stay with you.” She was now sobbing so hard her whole body shook.
He was still unsure whether her tears were real or those of an act. He stood with stiff shoulders as he quietly but firmly said, “Considering what caused us to pull you from that school, I doubt they would accept you back. No, if we decide to send you away again, it will have to be to another place. Believe me when I say, if you do not start acting in a more appropriate manner immediately, I will see you sent off before my wedding even takes place.”
“I am... sorry... Fitzwilliam,” she said between sobs. “I promise... to be more... amiable.”
“See that you are,” he said with more softness to his tone. “I only want what is best for you Georgiana, you do know that, do you not?”
“Yes,” she sniffled.
He sat down on the edge of her bed, pulling her into a tight embrace, “You are all I have left of my family, but when Elizabeth takes my name and steps beside me as my wife, we have the chance to continue the Darcy family on to another generation. That is what both of our parents wanted for us.” He released her and stood back up to leave. Stopping next to Fitz at the door, he turned back, “Please do not make me send you away—it would hurt me more than you know.”
“I promise I will try,” she said, drying her eyes once more.
“That is all I ask. I know things will be different, but please give Elizabeth a chance.” They both left the room. Darcy leaned heavily against the door when he pulled it closed behind him.
“Will this truly be a change of heart?”
Darcy sighed and looked down at his feet, his shoulders slumping in a way Fitz had not seen since his Uncle George’s funeral. “She promises to be more amiable, but I fear it is just the threat of sending her to another school that made her agree to try.” He sighed, “Did you hear what she said about being taunted while there? I wonder if that is what led her to act as she did and sneak away? More than that though, I wonder what she is hiding from us now?”
“I do not know, but I do know one thing,” Fitz grabbed his cousin’s shoulder, “you should not have to deal with this right before your wedding.”
“Yes, but she was left in my care.”
“And mine, Cuz. Now that she knows we will both stand up to her, let me take care of everything else. Your mind need not be so disagreeably engaged at this time. I will handle Georgiana,” Fitz promised. “Starting tomorrow, I will remove whatever obstacle I can from your shoulders. I will speak with Mrs Annesley about her duties over the next few weeks.”
“Thank you... for everything. I know what you have given up to offer me support in my decision to marry Miss Bennet.”
“It was not a difficult decision to make. My father is full of vanity, my mother is spiteful and jealous, and my brother is a rake. I would say the choice to stand by you was quite easy indeed. Now,” he said with a smile, rubbing his hands together, “I believe you owe me five cigars for my ensuring your intended received her gifts every day, and if I am not mistaken, Mr Gardiner has provided you with a new stash?”
Darcy allowed a small smile to pull at the corners of his mouth, “Yes he has. They are in my study.”
“Lead the way, and I might share one with you tonight,” Fitz said as they both went back down the stairs.
Fitz raced across the fields on his horse, Bingley following not too far behind, each hunched over lo
w with a look of determination on their faces. Bingley’s mount almost pushed ahead until something caused him to fall back. Fitz rounded the tree that marked the end of their race and he doubled back to find his erstwhile friend.
“That blasted... no good... why did I wear it anyway...,” Bingley was grumbling loudly as he stomped around in the bushes.
“What happened to you? I thought you had me there for a minute, then all of a sudden you were gone.”
“I lost my blasted hat!”
“I told you it would slow you down,” Fitz jumped down and began to help him look for it. “Ahhh, there it is,” he said, pointing about ten feet up into the branches of a tree.
“How did it get way up there?” Bingley huffed as he hurriedly climbed the tree to retrieve it.
“You amaze me with your ability to climb so easily,” Fitz called up to him.
“Ahhh, this is nothing to the trees I used to climb as a boy. My aunt’s home in Scarborough had the best one, and I could often be found hiding there from my sisters. If you think that is impressive, you should see me scale a wall. I had much practice in school as I was constantly locked out of my room by a few of my classmates. When I became friends with Darcy, everything changed.” Bingley jumped back down to the ground, dusting off his hat before he put it back on his head, pulling it down low so it would not come off again. “Perhaps on the way back we had better not race.”
Fitz chuckled and mounted his horse again.
As they rode along, Bingley said, “Darcy says you may be going back to the continent again?”
He groaned aloud, “My cousin speaks too freely sometimes.”
“Do not judge him too harshly—it was the night before you all arrived, and he was a bit out of sorts with Miss Bennet’s delay, so I may have plied him with a bit too much to drink.”
Fitz chuckled, “He has always been easy with his words when he is in his cups. So what other family secrets did my cousin reveal?”
“Hmm... not much, just that you are as stubborn as a mule, but I already knew that.”
Fitz laughed. “Yes, well, we cannot all be a puppy like you, now can we?”
Bingley nearly fell off his horse he was laughing so hard. “I remember your last night at Eton well—we decided you were the mule, I was deemed the puppy, but I cannot remember what Darcy was.”
“I believe it was the ostrich, for his tendency to want to hide in plain sight.”
When the horse snorted and tossed his head, he decided it would be best to not be riding, so he slid from its back, “We must walk if we are to continue this conversation. It would not do to fall and injure myself because of laughing too hard.”
Fitz dismounted as well and they continued to talk of school days and how much life had changed for each of them over the years. Darcy and Bingley had lost their parents, and while Fitz’ were still alive, he had a relationship with them that was not understood by many. Bingley was one of the few. Eventually their conversation turned to the Bennet sisters, and after discussing the betrothed couple, their thoughts naturally drifted to Miss Mary.
Curious what Bingley would say, Fitz asked, “What do you think of her?”
“I enjoy being around her,” he said. “There is just something about her that draws me to talk with her.”
“Yes, she is quite friendly when you get past her hard outer shell. At times it can be so infuriating, but her determination and inner strength makes her so animated once she trusts you.”
“No... no, I do not think that is it. It is something else. She is just so... calming and sweet.”
“Sweet? Well, I guess so.”
“You do not think she is sweet?” Bingley asked.
“It is just not the first word I would use to describe her,” Fitz explained.
“I have been thinking lately about settling down, and Miss Mary has garnered my attention. With her uncle’s position, I do not think she would disparage my connections to trade like most of the Ton would.”
Fitz felt his throat close up tighter with every word that came out of Bingley’s mouth. His heart beat louder and louder, to the point that he could not even hear Bingley any longer. All he heard was the thump, thump, thump of his own heart. You have no say in her life, he tried to tell himself. She is just a friend. I wish her to have a good life, and if she can do so with Bingley, then I should be happy for them, but I cannot bring myself to even consider it an option, he thought. She deserves to love and be loved, he kept reminding himself as he tried to focus once again on what Bingley was saying. As much as he tried, he just could not force himself to be happy that Bingley had decided to pursue Miss Mary.
They were soon back at Pemberley and Bingley wandered off to do something. Fitz was unsure what he had said, but he really did not care either. Needing to clear his head, he set out on one of the walking trails that wound around the gardens. Wanting to be alone, he decided to make his way through the maze to the fountain at the center. He got turned around a few times, but by the third try he remembered the correct combination of turns to reach his intended destination.
When he came around the last corner he stopped immediately. Miss Mary sat on the edge of the fountain. He stood there watching the picturesque scene as it played out in front of him. Though her back was to him, her face was turned so he could see her features. Her eyes were closed and her lips showed a simple smile as her fingers delicately traced over the surface of the water, making tiny ripples that lapped quietly against the sides. The mist from the spray was caught in the wind and he felt the cool breeze wash over his dusty face. The wind carried with it a scent he knew to be what she wore and a faint sound of humming. Does she remember what music sounds like, he wondered? It took everything in him to turn away, but he knew he must. He hid behind the brush and watched her for a few more minutes, then, not wanting to meet with anyone else, he returned to his room where he knew he would be left alone until time for supper. After all he heard Bingley say today, he knew he must fortify his own heart before this evening when he would be forced to watch Bingley try to court her attention.
Bingley stood at the foot of the stairs when Mary came down to join the others for supper. “Miss Mary, may I escort you to the dining room?”
She smiled a little and nodded her head, then took the proffered arm, walking beside the gentleman as they joined the others coming out of the sitting room.
“Are you feeling well?” Elizabeth asked her sister.
She nodded yes in answer.
“You do look a little flushed, Miss Mary,” Bingley said as he led her to her seat, taking for himself the one right beside her.
Fitz looked at her face. She actually looked a little pale to him; far from the flushed looks he had seen on her in the past. Looking away abruptly he scolded himself silently, reminding himself that she was just a friend. If Bingley wanted to pursue her, and if she was amenable to his suit, then he should not step in the way. After all, it was not as if he had the option of doing the same. As long as she was happy, he could live with that decision.
The meal went by slowly for Mary. Mr Darcy and Elizabeth were barely able to pull their eyes from each other. The Gardiners were quiet this evening. Miss Darcy did not speak, but the way she looked at her brother and his intended could not be mistaken for anything but disdain. Colonel Fitzwilliam spent the entirety of the meal either looking intently at his own plate or staring down his young cousin when he felt she was out of line. Mr Bingley talked with her, but she was not able to answer him in anything more than a nod or shake of her head as he did not know how to sign. Every time she tried to catch the eye of someone else, they were looking away, so she spent the entirety of the meal wondering why Mr Bingley chose to bestow such attention upon her.
When the normal time for the separation of the ladies came, Mrs Annesley stood, excusing herself and her charge and insisted Miss Darcy follow her without complaint. One look at Fitz told Georgiana this was his decision and she had better do as she was told.
“I think we can dispense with the formalities of a separation,” Darcy suggested. “May I escort you, my love?” When Elizabeth took his arm, he smiled broadly.
Fitz chuckled at the unusual sight of his cousin smiling. He saw Bingley offer his arm, once again, to Miss Mary, and he followed behind the two, trying not to think too deeply about it. His decision had been made.
When they arrived in the drawing room, Mary sat beside her aunt on the sofa. Why is Mr Bingley paying such attention to me all of a sudden? In the past he was amiable, but it almost seems as if he is now pointedly focusing on me. Could he be trying to court my attentions?
Fitz saw her discomfort and, knowing he needed to act more as a true friend would, decided to take some of Bingley’s attention off Miss Mary. “Bingley, I hear you are looking to lease a property in the country this year?”
“Yes, I am hoping to have my decision made by Michaelmas so I can take up residence,” he said with his usual smile.
“Do you have any prospects?” Mr Gardiner asked.
Bingley set his tea cup down on the table so he could gesture with his hands. “I have a few properties I am to look into, and I am hopeful one of them will be to my liking.”
“If you do not mind my intrusion, sir, where are they located?” Mr Gardiner asked.
“Oh, no sir, I do not mind at all,” he said back to Mr Gardiner. “One of them is in Yorkshire, and although I am assured it is the most beautiful of places, it is quite the distance from Town.”
“Yes, that is still a day’s travel north from here,” Darcy added. “Beautiful country though, especially the southern areas around the White Peaks.” He turned to the others, “Will you enjoy some of that county as well on your tour, sir?”
“No, we will be staying in the Three Shire Head area,” Mr Gardiner answered. “With four little children along on our tour we wanted to limit our travel, and that area offers everything we desire.”
Just to Hear 'I Love You': An Alternate Tale of Jane Austen's 'Pride & Prejudice' Page 12